# commentaries

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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> From the wicked, their light is withheld. The high arm is broken-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> LXX "And hast thou removed light from the ungodly, and crushed the arm of the proud?". Job has complained that light has been removed from him, and so he is being reminded that he has indeed sinned, and is "ungodly", although relatively very righteous, and counted as righteous by the God who so loved him. This is a lesson needed for all 'Godly' people, especially middle class Western Christians, and it was what the exiles had to learn in order that they might repent. Perhaps God is quoting with approval Job's lament that the light of the wicked is darkness (<a href='B:220 24:13-17'>Job 24:13-17</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Have you entered into the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in the recesses of the deep?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> GNB "Have you been to the springs in the depths of the sea? Have you walked on the floor of the ocean?":&nbsp;Job is reminded that he is ignorant of many things in creation, which remain inaccessible and remote. And so it is with insisting to know everything about Divine process with us. These things are purposefully hidden, and it is part of recognizing our humanity to realize that.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job earlier complained that "On my eyelids is the shadow of death" (<a href='B:220 16:16'>Job 16:16</a> AV). Job felt he was facing death right before his eyes, and the shadow of that death was cast over his eyes. Job thought he had been there, standing at the gates of death (<a href='B:220 10:21-22'>Job 10:21-22</a>; <a href='B:220 17:16'>Job 17:16</a>). But God disagrees, challenging Job that he has not in fact seen "the gates of the shadow of death" (s:w:). Job had only seen death from a personal, human perspective. God sees death for what it really is, and it is far more terrible than man perceives. For from God's perspective it carries with it the tragedy of the eternity which a man has missed, if he has rejected God. And God is saying that Job hasn't see death from that perspective.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Have you comprehended the earth in its breadth? Declare, if you know it all-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Elihu implies that if Job repents, then he will be brought out from a narrow place into a broad place (<a href='B:220 36:16'>Job 36:16</a>). God perhaps comments on this by saying that the "broad place" is in fact the whole earth (s:w. <a href='B:220 38:18'>Job 38:18</a>). Man (including Job) is already in freedom; it is a case of accepting it.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> What is the way to the dwelling of light? As for darkness, where is its place-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The dialogues have much to say about light and darkness; but the question of their ultimate origin is with God. This was what the exiles had to be reminded of (<a href='B:290 45:5-7'>Isa 45:5-7</a>). Job had rather simplistically concluded that the place of darkness was death (<a href='B:220 10:21-22'>Job 10:21-22</a>). But there was more to it than that. All the various theories of the origin of evil in a cosmic being have been deconstructed in Job. And now God reveals the ultimate truth- that the origin is with Him. Light is distinct from the sun, moon and planets, as Genesis itself teaches (<a href='B:10 1:3'>Gen 1:3</a>; <a href='B:10 1:16'>Gen 1:16</a>). The question of ultimate origins is with God.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> that you should take it to its bound, that you should discern the paths to its house?-</p><h4> Job's experiences were of affliction set in his "path" (s:w. <a href='B:220 19:8'>Job 19:8</a>). And the Bedouins he curses in <a href='B:220 30:1-12'>Job 30:1-12</a> were those who had abused him in that "path" (<a href='B:220 30:13'>Job 30:13</a>). So it seems he has in view the Sabeans who had abused him in the prologue, and yet this section also has clear reference to the friends. Yet that "path" of affliction which God had given Job was the path of wisdom and relationship with Him which was indiscernible to the human eye (<a href='B:220 28:7'>Job 28:7</a> cp. 28); the fact that the ultimate path is invisible to the secular, naked eye is a truth stamped upon the natural creation (<a href='B:220 38:20'>Job 38:20</a>), and yet after the affliction or trouble, this path shines clearly (<a href='B:220 41:32'>Job 41:32</a>). And this was to be Job's experience at his restoration, as it could have been likewise for the exiles.</h4>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Surely you know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great!-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This is also an answer to the way the friends considered that there was wisdom accrued through the number of days lived. Within the context of eternity and God's creative power, such knowledge is as nothing. It is therefore only the truth revealed from God which is a source of truth, and not length of human days. God is engaging with the idea of the friends, that number of days is related to wisdom. But compared to the specter of infinity, that is a very weak argument.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Have you entered the treasuries of the snow, or have you seen the treasures of the hail-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This implies that God has gone exploring though His own creation-making Him even more marvellous than being just the creator. Hail is a common symbol of God's judgment (<a href='B:20 9:18-29'>Exo 9:18-29</a>; <a href='B:230 18:12-13'>Psa 18:12-13</a>; <a href='B:230 78:47-48'>Psa 78:47-48</a>; <a href='B:230 105:32'>Psa 105:32</a>; <a href='B:290 30:30'>Isa 30:30</a>; <a href='B:290 32:19'>Isa 32:19</a> etc:). These things are stored up by God for use at the appropriate time. Both Job and the exiles needed to realize that they were not merely at the whim of God, but He had prepared their experiences in order to achieve specific ends.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Earlier Job has argued that judgment is "reserved" until the last day (<a href='B:220 21:30'>Job 21:30</a> s:w:), and therefore the wicked appear to prosper. God is here confirming that view. Eliphaz claimed that God is preparing to judge Job like a king ready to ride into the battle (<a href='B:220 15:24'>Job 15:24</a>). But God's later revelation includes Him demonstrating that man cannot participate successfully in any battle with what God has willed (<a href='B:220 41:8'>Job 41:8</a>), and the horse runs foolishly into battle with no regard for consequence (<a href='B:220 39:25'>Job 39:25</a>). The connection with the words of Eliphaz may be in that it was effectively Eliphaz who was rushing into battle to do judgment against Job; and he was acting like the foolish horse, forgetting that God alone will fight in the battle, and win (<a href='B:220 38:23'>Job 38:23</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> By what way is the lightning distributed, or the east wind scattered on the earth?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> AV "By what way is the light parted?", referring to refraction. God has not simply made the good, but He has refracted it in various ways. Peter gets a glance at this when he writes of the refracted beauty of God's grace (AV "the manifold grace of God", <a href='B:670 4:10'>1Pe 4:10</a>). Job is being taught that life is not as simple as light and darkness, good and evil; but these things are refracted by God in different ways, such is the beauty and complexity of His workings:&nbsp;</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Who has cut a channel for the flood water, or the path for the thunderstorm-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The flood waters were a symbol for evil such as the invaders who had taken Judah into exile. But God cuts channels so that His flood waters dissipate, just as His wind / Spirit drives away the clouds that come between God and man. And He had directed the path of that particular thunderstorm to come directly upon Job.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> to cause it to rain on a land where no man is; on the wilderness, in which there is no man-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> God's actions cannot be simply understood by men. To the ancients, it would have appeared pointless to send rain on the remote deserts. But His goodness, represented by the rain, operates on a level far beyond our comprehension. It is not utilitarian, intended to just produce some easily discernible good. His grace is far greater than that.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> to satisfy the waste and desolate ground-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Although the gift of His grace in rain falls sometimes where it apparently has no purpose (:26), it also falls on other areas where the tender grass is nourished by it. And His purpose is to revive even the apparently useless and waste land; both in the life of Job, and of His deserted land and people.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>To cause the tender grass to spring forth?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Waste and desolation" is the language of condemnation (s:w. <a href='B:430 1:15'>Zep 1:15</a>). But God makes the point that He sends rain "to satisfy the desolate and waste ground"- the very place where the condemned lived whom Job despised in his prosperity (<a href='B:220 30:3'>Job 30:3</a> s:w:). But God doesn't despise even the most desperate of society. He sends rain to cheer them whom the righteous despise. And this was to help Job be convicted of his own desperation, of how wrong he had been to despise others and trust that he was righteous; and to further convict him that God still sought to revive him, as He did those deserted lands.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Does the rain have a father? Or who fathers the drops of dew?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The question of origins remains to this day. No matter how persuasive are theories of evolutionary development, the question of ultimate origins has to always come back to God. And this question of origins, God is arguing, is really a signpost to the simple idea of grace. For creation is in a sense grace itself.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Out of whose womb came the ice? The gray frost of the sky, who has given birth to it?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Came" is the word for 'bring forth' in <a href='B:220 28:11'>Job 28:11</a>: "The thing that is hidden He brings forth to light". God can reveal everything physical, if He wishes. But man will still not find "wisdom" if he is searching for it as a 'physical' thing, obtained by a process of mining and subsequent refining. That reveals merely "stones of obscurity" (<a href='B:220 28:3'>Job 28:3</a>), nuggets of isolated truth. This message needs to be heeded by those who consider the Christian duty is to search out academic truth, mining it from the pages of the Bible and further processing it. This of itself is not to be despised, but this can be done as the Pharisees did it, and as the friends did- without coming to the awesome personal encounter with God and His grace with which the book of Job concludes. God can dry up the streams so that those panning in them thigh deep for precious stones- find them. He can bring them to light, but this is not the same thing as the "wisdom" of personal relationship with Him and departing from evil in our hearts (<a href='B:220 28:9-10'>Job 28:9-10</a>; <a href='B:220 28:28'>Job 28:28</a>). This is what was happening on Job's life; God was 'bringing forth' light from death, deep things from darkness (s:w. <a href='B:220 12:22'>Job 12:22</a>). And this was realized by God bringing it forth, and not man's search for 'truth'. Job as a person was to be 'brought forth' by God as gold from that fire of affliction (<a href='B:220 23:10'>Job 23:10</a> s:w:). Just as plants are 'brought forth' from the earth without the need for mining under the earth (<a href='B:220 28:5'>Job 28:5</a> s:w:). This is why God's reply to Job keeps on using this word for 'bring forth', labouring the point that God 'brings forth' by His processes and initiatives, and not man. And that is as a code stamped upon all of creation (<a href='B:220 38:8'>Job 38:8</a>; <a href='B:220 38:29'>Job 38:29</a>; <a href='B:220 38:32'>Job 38:32</a>; <a href='B:220 39:4'>Job 39:4</a>; <a href='B:220 39:21'>Job 39:21</a>; <a href='B:220 41:20-21'>Job 41:20-21</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The waters become hard like stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Not only the creation of water and things is wonderful, but equally the transformations of created things. This is what God was to do to Job, and He was offering to do the same to the exiles.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loosen the cords of Orion?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job sees God as capable of binding and loosing him, untying the cords that restrain affliction and then binding them up again (<a href='B:220 30:11'>Job 30:11</a> s:w:). God's response is that indeed this is the case, and such binding and loosing is seen throughout the natural creation (s:w. <a href='B:220 38:31'>Job 38:31</a>; <a href='B:220 39:5'>Job 39:5</a>; <a href='B:220 41:14'>Job 41:14</a>). The constellations are bound together in pattern by God. And therefore, Job and the exiles are to live in hope of being bound up in safety from affliction, just as God "untied His cord and afflicted me" in <a href='B:220 30:11'>Job 30:11</a>.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Can you lead forth the constellations in their season? Or can you guide the Bear with her cubs?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> AV "Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season?". The context would suggest that "Mazzaroth" [a plural word] is a constellation like Orion just mentioned in :31. This would mean that the signs of the Zodiac are not in view here, as has been falsely claimed. It could be that "Mazzaroth" was a group of stars the people of the times thought they had observed which we now know as something else. It could be a variant of Mazzaloth, the gods made to these stars (<a href='B:120 23:5'>2Ki 23:5</a>). In this case God is saying that even if they believed the stars influenced life on earth and made idols to them, God was the ultimate controller and mover. It's rather like the usage of the language of demons in the New Testament. The scale of miracles implies God was far greater than any supposed demons, but the wrong understanding is not specifically targetted; rather by appealing to the greater principle of God's majestic power, it is shown to be bankrupt and void of real power.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you establish its dominion over the earth?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> GNB "Do you know the laws that govern the skies, and can you make them apply to the earth?". This is perhaps the clearest Biblical condemnation of any attempt to practice astrology. The movement of the stars was under God's control, but is not related to the outcomes of life upon earth. For God can work in parallel ways with the stars as well as with human life and situations upon earth.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover you?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This is said in the context of the thunderstorm which began as noted on <a href='B:220 36:27'>Job 36:27</a>. That thunderstorm was brought about by God's sovereign action, and was not called up by men commanding God to bring it. The movement of God through His grace is likewise sovereign, otherwise grace would not be grace.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are?’-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The same challenge was made to Ezekiel and the exiles, in the visions of the lightnings of the cherubim. The simple point of all this is that this lightning quick and powerful activity is for our sakes, to the end of achieving saving restoration. Job and the exiles complained that God was apparently slow to act. But He is working with lightning speed.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Who has put wisdom in the inward parts? Or who has given understanding to the mind?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> GNB "Who tells the ibis when the Nile will flood, or who tells the rooster that rain will fall?"; LXX "And who has given to women skill in weaving, or knowledge of embroidery?". But the preceding and following context is of God's control of the planets and atmosphere. So the idea may be that the lightnings also have their own wisdom, given to them by God, as it were. Hence one suggested translation is "Who has put wisdom in the thunderbolts? or who has given understanding to the tempest?".</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of the sky-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The answer of course was that they could not be numbered by man, but only by God. This is the same word used in the restoration prophecy of <a href='B:300 38:22'>Jer 38:22</a>: "As the host of the sky cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured", so God's grace would be poured out in restoring His people. And that challenge was at the very heart of the covenant with Abraham, whose seed couldn't be numbered. Job was being taught the same lesson. He believed it, but the exiles generally didn't, and so their restoration didn't happen after the pattern of Job's.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> when the dust runs into a mass, and the clods of earth stick together?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The idea is that God sends rain from the clouds at the time when it is most desperately needed. The dry bones of both Job and Israel were to be rained upon with the Spirit. And this kind of thing is seen in the natural creation.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Can you hunt the prey for the lioness, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The theme now changes to the animals, and perhaps Job 39 would better begin at this verse. The point is that although the lioness hunts, this is in league with God: "The lions, roaring after their prey, do seek their meat from God" (<a href='B:230 104:21'>Psa 104:21</a>). The lions who hunted Job and Judah were likewise from God, and were not acting without Him.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> when they crouch in their dens, and lie in wait in the thicket?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Crouch" is the word for to humble, to crouch down. The theme of the book of Job is that man must be humbled before he can be used by God (s:w. <a href='B:220 9:13'>Job 9:13</a>; <a href='B:220 22:29'>Job 22:29</a>). And this is coded into the natural creation. The lioness must crouch down before she pounces.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Who provides for the raven his prey-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The raven was considered a bad omen. But still God cares for them; and how much more for His people. This is the force of the Lord's argument in <a href='B:490 12:24'>Luk 12:24</a>, "Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them". Hence <a href='B:230 147:9'>Psa 147:9</a> emphasizes that "He gives to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry". Clearly God doesn't simplistically punish the evil and bless the righteous immediately in this life. His grace reaches out to all.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>When his young ones cry to God, and wander for lack of food?- Job feels he has 'cried out' to God for justice and not been heard (<a href='B:220 19:7'>Job 19:7</a>; <a href='B:220 30:20'>Job 30:20</a>); and that there is nothing wrong with crying out to God in distress, it is a perfectly natural reaction (<a href='B:220 24:12'>Job 24:12</a>). One comment upon this is that the young ravens cry out to God for food and yet are not always heard (<a href='B:220 38:41'>Job 38:41</a> s:w:). But God in the wider picture sustains all of creation by grace. Job did well to cry out to God even if there was no answer, because the hypocrites do not 'cry out' to God when they are facing judgment (<a href='B:220 36:13'>Job 36:13</a> s:w:). Job feels hurt that God has not responded to his 'crying out' because he says that when the needy cried out to him, he had heard (<a href='B:220 29:12'>Job 29:12</a> s:w:). But here we see his works based approach; he thought that his response to those who cried out to him meant that therefore God must respond to his crying out. And God is not so primitive. His apparent silence is because His response is not predicated upon human works and charity. It is by grace alone, as is taught in His final appearance to Job. The exiles likewise were to finally see the response to their crying out to God in the restoration (<a href='B:290 58:9'>Isa 58:9</a>), just as their representative Jonah cried out to God from the belly of sheol amidst the sea of nations, and was heard (s:w. <a href='B:390 2:2'>Jon 2:2</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Do you know the time when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears fawns?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The idea is that man may not know the exact time, but God does, and it is built into His plan; see on :2. "Watch [over]" is the same word used for how God had set the parameters for Job's trials in the prologue; his life was to be preserved (s:w:, <a href='B:220 2:6'>Job 2:6</a>). But Job like the friends became obsessed with immediate suffering and issues to the point that he overlooked these basic parameters set by God. We can do the same. He complains that God watches over him too closely (<a href='B:220 13:6'>Job 13:6</a>; <a href='B:220 33:11'>Job 33:11</a> s:w:), and yet complains that God isn't watching over him (<a href='B:220 29:2'>Job 29:2</a>). God's response is to direct him again to the natural creation, where God's constant 'watching over' His creation is evident. He even watches over the exact gestation time of mountain goats, who were invisible to human eyes (<a href='B:220 39:1'>Job 39:1</a> s:w:). And likewise Job was to understand that the time of his sufferings, like the period of exile for the captives, was likewise intensely noted by God and had not been forgotten.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Can you number the months that they fulfil? Or do you know the time when they give birth?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This continues the theme of Job 38, that everything has its bounds and limits, and timings set by God. This was so relevant to the exiles who considered their suffering endless; it was a reminder that restoration had been promised after a period, even if they didn't know that exact time (see on :1) and that script is written into all God's work in creation.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The answer of course was that they could not be numbered by man, but only by God. This is the same word used in the restoration prophecy of <a href='B:300 38:22'>Jer 38:22</a>: "As the host of the sky cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured", so God's grace would be poured out in restoring His people. Job was being taught the same lesson. He believed it, but the exiles generally didn't, and so their restoration didn't happen after the pattern of Job's.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>In Canaanite myth, Aquhat [another ‘Satan’ figure in their theology] could alone “count the months” (Robert S. Fyall, op cit p. 75) – but the same phrase is used here in <a href='B:220 39:2'>Job 39:2</a> about how God alone has this power. See on <a href='B:220 38:8'>Job 38:8</a>.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> They bow themselves, they bring forth their young, they end their labour pains-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This is the language of later Isaiah; the travail of Zion would come to an end, in the rebirth of a restored Kingdom of God in Judah. That at least was the Divine intention, although the Jews largely precluded its realization by their own refusal to really want it.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Their young ones become strong. They grow up in the open field. They go forth, and don’t return again-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> LXX emphasizes this idea of 'going forth', which as noted on :1,2 looks ahead to the going forth of the Jews from captivity: "Their young will break forth; they will be multiplied with offspring: their young will go forth, and will not return to them".</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>"Grow up" is the word for 'bring forth' in <a href='B:220 28:11'>Job 28:11</a>: "The thing that is hidden He brings forth to light". God can reveal everything physical, if He wishes. But man will still not find "wisdom" if he is searching for it as a 'physical' thing, obtained by a process of mining and subsequent refining. That reveals merely "stones of obscurity" (<a href='B:220 28:3'>Job 28:3</a>), nuggets of isolated truth. This message needs to be heeded by those who consider the Christian duty is to search out academic truth, mining it from the pages of the Bible and further processing it. This of itself is not to be despised, but this can be done as the Pharisees did it, and as the friends did- without coming to the awesome personal encounter with God and His grace with which the book of Job concludes. God can dry up the streams so that those panning in them thigh deep for precious stones- find them. He can bring them to light, but this is not the same thing as the "wisdom" of personal relationship with Him and departing from evil in our hearts (<a href='B:220 28:9-10'>Job 28:9-10</a>; <a href='B:220 28:28'>Job 28:28</a>). This is what was happening on Job's life; God was 'bringing forth' light from death, deep things from darkness (s:w. <a href='B:220 12:22'>Job 12:22</a>). And this was realized by God bringing it forth, and not man's search for 'truth'. Job as a person was to be 'brought forth' by God as gold from that fire of affliction (<a href='B:220 23:10'>Job 23:10</a> s:w:). Just as plants are 'brought forth' from the earth without the need for mining under the earth (<a href='B:220 28:5'>Job 28:5</a> s:w:). This is why God's reply to Job keeps on using this word for 'bring forth', labouring the point that God 'brings forth' by His processes and initiatives, and not man. And that is as a code stamped upon all of creation (<a href='B:220 38:8'>Job 38:8</a>; <a href='B:220 38:29'>Job 38:29</a>; <a href='B:220 38:32'>Job 38:32</a>; <a href='B:220 39:4'>Job 39:4</a>; <a href='B:220 39:21'>Job 39:21</a>; <a href='B:220 41:20-21'>Job 41:20-21</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Who has set the wild donkey free? Or who has loosened the bonds of the swift donkey-</p><h4> This loosing of bands is the language of Judah's bands being freed and their freedom to return to Zion. Job sees God as capable of binding and loosing him, untying the cords that restrain affliction and then binding them up again (<a href='B:220 30:11'>Job 30:11</a> s:w:). God's response is that indeed this is the case, and such binding and loosing is seen throughout the natural creation (s:w. <a href='B:220 38:31'>Job 38:31</a>; <a href='B:220 39:5'>Job 39:5</a>; <a href='B:220 41:14'>Job 41:14</a>). And therefore, Job and the exiles are to live in hope of being bound up in safety from affliction, just as God "untied His cord and afflicted me" in <a href='B:220 30:11'>Job 30:11</a>.</h4>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> whose home I have made the wilderness, and the salt land his dwelling place?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> It was from the wilderness that Job's troubles came. The Bedouins attacked from there, and the destructive wind came from there. But God was somehow in all that.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> He scorns the tumult of the city, neither does he hear the shouting of the driver-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job in his depression feels as Israel suffering in Egypt (<a href='B:20 3:7'>Exo 3:7</a>; <a href='B:20 5:6'>Exo 5:6</a>; <a href='B:20 5:13'>Exo 5:13</a>), considering that death was the only way out of the misery of hearing the "voice of the taskmaster", "the shouting of the driver" (<a href='B:220 3:18'>Job 3:18</a>). But he fails to see that out of that misery they were redeemed and restored to their land. This is alluded to when attention is drawn to how God's creations "hear not the voice, the shouts and curses of the driver". God's people didn't have to "hear" the voice of the taskmaster; there was a way of redemption offered.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The LXX here has a strange appropriacy to the release of the exiles from captivity, and the edicts of the Persian kings allowing them to reestablish their kingdom without paying any taxes: "He laughs to scorn the multitude of the city, and hears not the chiding of the tax-gatherer".</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The range of the mountains is his pasture, he searches after every green thing-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> LXX "He will survey the mountains as his pasture, and he seeks after every green thing". The returned exiles would have free pasture in all their land, as Ezekiel 34 and other restoration prophecies had intimated.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Will the wild ox be content to serve you? Or will he stay by your feeding trough?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> LXX "And will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or to lie down at thy manger?". The reference may be to Cyrus being the servant of Yahweh in allowing the exiles to return.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Can you hold the wild ox in the furrow with his harness? Or will he till the valleys after you?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The wild animals may appear to the human eye to be aimlessly wandering hither and thither. But they are actually ploughing furrows for God. The apparently aimless wandering of Job and the exiles was likewise under God's control, and was actually intended to bring forth a great harvest from the apparently barren land.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Will you trust him, because his strength is great? Or will you leave to him your labour?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> No man could "trust" the randomly wandering oxen. But God has such a close relationship with those things which seem random and aimless that He doesn't actually need to hold those wild animals in harness (:10), He can trust them to do His work without Him harnessing them. And the same progression is to be seen in His work with apparently wild men; they begin needing a harness (:10), but then progress to working independently and yet within the overall furrow of God's direction.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Will you confide in him, that he will bring home your seed, and gather the grain of your threshing floor?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Man struggles to have faith / trust (:11) or confidence in things and processes which appear random and out of his control. But God has such confidence, and He invites Job and all His people to do likewise. Job's sufferings, like Judah's, were not random and aimless. They can be trusted to achieve the work intended, and bring about a great harvest; incredible as that might seem to secular, onlooking man.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The wings of the ostrich wave proudly; but are they the feathers and plumage of love?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> I suggest that the following verses are arguing that the ostrich may appear to behave strangely, but is not in fact without love or care for its young. No animal totally lacks parental instinct. The people of Job's time thought that the ostrich did lack it; just as Job and the exiles were questioning whether God really loved and cared for them. Her wings wave as she dashes around the desert in the day time; but the question is, does she really have love for her own? God likewise was and is active through the wings of the cherubim. But does He care for His little ones? That is the sense in which the ostrich becomes a significant animal.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> For she leaves her eggs on the earth, warms them in the dust-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Ostriches, having scratched a hole in the sand, and deposited their eggs in it, cover the eggs over with a layer of sand, sometimes as much as a foot in thickness, and, leaving them during the daytime to be kept warm by the heat of the sun, only incubate at night". As noted on :13, the question is as to whether the ostrich really loves her young. She does; for no animal is without parental instinct. And likewise with God; He covers His little ones in the dust, and uses the darkness of night, the trials of life, to incubate them personally.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> and forgets that the foot may crush them, or that the wild animal may trample them-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The idea may be that the ostrich can forget about her eggs, with no fear that they may be crushed, as she has buried them well (see on :14). The eggs of both God and the ostrich are preserved; neither man nor wild beasts of nations can destroy them. Job was not going to be crushed as he feared (<a href='B:220 4:19'>Job 4:19</a>; <a href='B:220 5:4'>Job 5:4</a>). God likewise hides and covers His people (<a href='B:290 26:20'>Isa 26:20</a>), although to the eye of secular, imperceptive man, He may appear not to care. But in the analogy, His people had to be prepared to accept that covering; for indeed many of them were trodden down / trampled by the wild beasts of the nations.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> She deals harshly with her young ones, as if they were not hers. Though her labour is in vain, she is without fear-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Young ones" is Heb. "sons". The ostrich is introduced as hard to understand- "loving, or unloving?" is the opening question about the ostrich (:13). And indeed she apparently deals harshly with her young ones. The Bedouin peoples amongst whom Job lived thought that the ostrich was unloving, that it didn't care for its young; and they had proverbs to this effect, alluded to in <a href='B:310 4:3'>Lam 4:3</a>. But the ostrich is not without parental instinct. Why does she incubate at night and hide her eggs in the day time? Not so that she can flit around the desert at her own pleasure, but because she is out looking for food for her young, and at night she incubates her eggs- working around the clock for her little ones. God's labour for His exiled people was likewise, and was also at times in vain (<a href='B:230 127:1'>Psa 127:1</a>; <a href='B:290 49:4'>Isa 49:4</a>). But He did not fear, He didn't give up because some were indeed crushed and trodden down by the wild beasts of the nations, but continued working for them. And God did at times appear to treat His people as if they were not His; for "you are not My people", because they had chosen not to be (<a href='B:350 1:9'>Hos 1:9</a>; <a href='B:300 23:39'>Jer 23:39</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> because God has deprived her of wisdom, neither has He imparted to her understanding-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The ostrich is presented as being an apparent contradiction; lacking understanding and yet able to run swiftly and be stronger than a horse and its rider (:18). As explained above, the ostrich is not without wisdom nor without parental instinct. But it can appear she is; and indeed some of her young are lost and crushed. See on :18.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Job felt he had been deprived of everything, including wisdom and understanding (<a href='B:220 26:5'>Job 26:5</a>). But this was not because he was unwise; he is presented as a perfect man (<a href='B:220 1:1'>Job 1:1</a>). God is able to give and take wisdom, as is seen in the natural creation (<a href='B:220 39:17'>Job 39:17</a> s:w:).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> When she lifts up herself on high, she scorns the horse and his rider-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This lifting herself up refers to how the ostrich does this in order to run at great speed. She has been given good qualities such as speed and power, and also apparent foolishness which leads to some of her young being lost (:17). It is this union of apparently differing qualities which is the impression men have as they look at the wok of God towards His little ones.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Have you given the horse might? Have you clothed his neck with a quivering mane?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The apparently foolish ostrich is a match for the might of the horse (:18). But all these abilities are given by God, contradictory as they may seem to the secular man observing them. This is addressing the complaint of Job, that God appears to act toward man in contradictory ways (<a href='B:220 10:16'>Job 10:16</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Have you made him to leap as a locust? The glory of his snorting is awesome-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Awesome" is literally 'terrible' or 'as terrors', which the friends believed would come upon Job (<a href='B:220 20:25'>Job 20:25</a> s:w:). "Terrors" are again the judgment of God upon an apostate Israel, whom Job was suffering for whilst innocent, after the pattern of the later Lord Jesus (<a href='B:50 32:25'>Deu 32:25</a> s:w:). Those "terrors" were likely understood by the friends as some kind of demonic beings. God deconstructs this by explaining that the great beasts He has created likewise were 'terrible' (s:w. "terrors"). But the simple point was that He had created them and was totally in control (s:w. <a href='B:220 39:20'>Job 39:20</a>; <a href='B:220 41:14'>Job 41:14</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength. He goes out to meet the armed men-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Just as the ostrich is on one hand apparently foolish and yet has qualities of speed and bravery (:18), so the horse has great strength and is eager to fight, not fearing the sword which can slay it (:22). It is this union of apparently differing qualities which is the impression men have as they look at the wok of God towards His people.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> He mocks at fear, and is not dismayed, neither does he turn back from the sword-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> See on :21. "Dismay" is the word used of how the exiles were urged not to be dismayed but to believe that God would indeed bring them from exile to restoration in His restored Kingdom (<a href='B:290 51:7'>Isa 51:7</a>; <a href='B:300 30:10'>Jer 30:10</a>; <a href='B:300 46:27'>Jer 46:27</a>). Job begins by being dismayed / scared (<a href='B:220 7:14'>Job 7:14</a>), but develops to not be dismayed (<a href='B:220 31:34'>Job 31:34</a> s:w:), following the example of the Lord's battle horse (<a href='B:220 39:22'>Job 39:22</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The quiver rattles against him, the flashing spear and the javelin-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This is all the language of Divine judgment (<a href='B:410 3:3'>Nah 3:3</a>; <a href='B:310 3:13'>Lam 3:13</a>). The horse doesn't fear that, just as Leviathan doesn't (<a href='B:220 41:29'>Job 41:29</a>). He is as he is, not always wise, but free from the fear of judgment, not fearing the battle as men fear it. And this was perhaps how God wants His people to be, and this was in fact how Job was.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> He eats up the ground with fierceness and rage, neither does he stand still at the sound of the trumpet-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Stand still" is the word for 'belief'. The idea may be that 'he hardly trusts his ears for joy' that the battle is beginning. The sound of the trumpet can be understood as the call to judgment. The horse doesn't fear the battle nor the call to judgment, but is eager for it- just as Job was, and as David and Paul also were. And yet the horse fails to understand the real implications of it all. In this sense God may be justifying Job's attitude to judgment.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> As often as the trumpet sounds he snorts, ‘Aha!’. He smells the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Eliphaz claims that God is preparing to judge Job like a king ready to ride into the battle (<a href='B:220 15:24'>Job 15:24</a>). But God's later revelation includes Him demonstrating that man cannot participate successfully in any battle with what God has willed (<a href='B:220 41:8'>Job 41:8</a>), and the horse runs foolishly into battle with no regard for consequence (<a href='B:220 39:25'>Job 39:25</a>). The connection with the words of Eliphaz may be in that it was effectively Eliphaz who was rushing into battle to do judgment against Job; and he was acting like the foolish horse, forgetting that God alone will fight in the battle, and win (<a href='B:220 38:23'>Job 38:23</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars, and stretches her wings toward the south?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The invasions of Judah from the north were as birds of prey flying south as they migrate- all under God's control.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up, and makes his nest on high?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The eagle was a symbol of the enemies of God's people (<a href='B:50 28:49'>Deu 28:49</a>):&nbsp; But their movements were completely under God's control.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> On the cliff he dwells, and makes his home, on the point of the cliff, and the stronghold-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The eagle dwells on a point which is inaccessible to man. That seems to be the point. But the eagle is completely under Divine control (:27), although man is unable to engage with it. It was this which Job needed to learn.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> From there he spies out the prey. His eyes see it afar off-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The extraordinary eyesight of the eagle was legendary. The context is of God teaching Job that all his concerns with process and 'why' this or that are inappropriate; for even the animal creation has better eyesight than he does. Job earlier compared the passing of his life to the swiftness of an eagle (<a href='B:220 9:26'>Job 9:26</a>); perhaps now he is being taught that such comparison is inappropriate. The relevance to the exiles may be that they were "afar off" from the promised land, but in a moment could be brought there, just as the eagle can in an apparent moment close that distance which was "afar off" (<a href='B:290 43:6'>Isa 43:6</a>; <a href='B:290 49:12'>Isa 49:12</a>; <a href='B:290 60:4'>Isa 60:4</a>; <a href='B:290 60:9'>Isa 60:9</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> His young ones also suck up blood. Where the slain are, there he is- The Lord appears to allude to this in <a href='B:470 24:28'>Mat 24:28</a>. He is answering the disciples' concerns as to where and how the judgment will take place. Perhaps He sees their undue concerns with process to be similar to those of Job. He directs them back to this passage, which teaches that we are not to overly concern ourselves with these questions, contrary as that attitude is to the 'scientific' mindset of the age of reason. It is the reality of it which is to be focused upon.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Moreover Yahweh answered Job-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> We perhaps are to imagine a pause of silence in the drama at the end of Job 39.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Shall he who argues contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Argues" is the word used for "umpire" in <a href='B:220 9:30'>Job 9:30</a>. The word for "umpire" suggests 'one who is right', a reasoner, an advocate, one who pleads (s:w. <a href='B:220 16:21'>Job 16:21</a>), a reprover (<a href='B:220 40:2'>Job 40:2</a> AV, s:w:). Job's request was not simply for a mediator; he would have used a different word if so. He seems to have wanted to put God in the dock, but knew this was not appropriate; he wants someone else to do this who can legitimately do it. And he is rebuked for this here in <a href='B:220 40:2'>Job 40:2</a>:&nbsp;This is all legal language. Job appeals for ‘witnesses’ (<a href='B:220 9:33-35'>Job 9:33-35</a>; <a href='B:220 16:18-22'>Job 16:18-22</a>; <a href='B:220 19:20-27'>Job 19:20-27</a>), an advocate in Heaven (<a href='B:220 9:33'>Job 9:33</a>), denies his guilt and demands a legal list of his sins (<a href='B:220 13:19'>Job 13:19</a>), he wishes for God to come to trial (<a href='B:220 9:3'>Job 9:3</a>), and thus Job is described as a man who has taken out a ‘case’ with God (<a href='B:220 23:4'>Job 23:4</a>; <a href='B:220 40:2'>Job 40:2</a>). Job 29-31 is effectively Job’s declaration of legal innocence and an appeal to God to hear his case more sympathetically (<a href='B:220 31:35'>Job 31:35</a>). And of course God pronounces a final legal verdict at the very end (<a href='B:220 42:7'>Job 42:7</a>), in response to Job’s earlier plea: “Sleeplessly I wait for His reply” (<a href='B:220 16:22'>Job 16:22</a>). It’s as if the whole experience of Job was [at least partly] in order to test out the Canaanite theories of ‘Satan’, suffering and evil in the court of Heaven; and also the various theories which arose to explain Judah's captivity in Babylon. The friends represent the traditional views of evil, and often make reference to the myths of their day about ‘Satan’ figures. They speak as if they are the final court – Eliphaz speaks of how the judges and elders of their day, the “holy ones”, had concluded Job was guilty, and that they, the friends, were right: “To which of the holy ones will you appeal [legal language]?::. we have [legally] examined this, and it [Job’s guilt] is true” (<a href='B:220 5:1'>Job 5:1</a>; <a href='B:220 5:27'>Job 5:27</a>). This is of great comfort to those who feel misjudged by man – above them in Heaven the ultimate Heavenly court is considering our case, and that is all that matters.</p>220


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Then Job answered Yahweh-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The paradox is that he answered Yahweh by saying that he cannot answer Him (:3). And that indeed is man's only possible answer to God.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Behold, I am of small account-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The word for "cursed" (<a href='B:220 3:1'>Job 3:1</a>; <a href='B:220 24:18'>Job 24:18</a>). The one who felt cursed was to be blessed, just as the Israel whom he unknowingly represented.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>What shall I answer you?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Earlier, Job in <a href='B:220 31:14'>Job 31:14</a> had confidently boated that only if he had committed adultery would be feel before God that he was unable to speak; "What shall I answer Him?". &nbsp;Job's point was that as he had not despised the cause of his servants (:13), therefore he did not have anything to fear before God's judgment. God's final appearance was proof enough that he of himself had no right to answer back to God. "What shall I answer You?" (<a href='B:220 40:4'>Job 40:4</a>) was his final word. But here, Job insists he could only be speechless before God if he had committed sins like adultery- which he was insistent he hadn't. Job is led to realize that he has sinned and fallen short of God's glory, although he had avoided the sins like adultery which counted as major sins in the view of his society.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The epilogue and prologue to Job are evidently related. Job begins sitting in dust and ashes and ends repenting in dust and ashes (<a href='B:220 2:8'>Job 2:8</a>; <a href='B:220 42:6'>Job 42:6</a>). The silence of the friends at the opening of the book is matched by the silence after God has finally spoken (<a href='B:220 40:4'>Job 40:4</a>). Job intercedes for his children (<a href='B:220 1:5'>Job 1:5</a>) and ends up interceding for his friends. Job begins with the description of being the Lord’s servant; and the book concludes on the same note (<a href='B:220 42:7-8'>Job 42:7-8</a>). The question of course is: ‘So what’s the equivalent of the ‘Satan’ figure in the epilogue?’. The omission is intended and obvious. Ultimately the answer is the essence of the whole book: the ‘Satan’, the adversary, is none other than God Himself, in His love, however and through whomsoever He was manifested.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I lay my hand on my mouth-</p><h4> When Job finally lays his hand upon his mouth, he is only doing what he had earlier told the friends to do in recognition of their folly (<a href='B:220 13:5'>Job 13:5</a>; <a href='B:220 21:5'>Job 21:5</a>). Through the pain and irritation of their speeches, Job came to value and appreciate the need for silence before God. But it was only when personally confronted by God at the end that he realizes that he too had spoken too much and he repents of that in silence. In <a href='B:220 24:25'>Job 24:25</a> he has boasted of the strength of his own speeches: "If it isn’t so now, who will prove me a liar, and make my speech worth nothing?". Job has argued himself into an invincible position, in his own eyes. Indeed, all he says is true; but like the friends, truths are expressed but within a wrong context. Finally Job is to lay his hand upon his mouth in repentance (<a href='B:240 30:32'>Pro 30:32</a>; <a href='B:400 7:16'>Mic 7:16</a>) and recognize he has not spoken rightly, although he earlier demanded the friends lay their hands upon their mouths before the power of his arguments (<a href='B:220 21:5'>Job 21:5</a>). God confirms this by remarking that whoever has hope of overcoming Leviathan, His great beast (perhaps representing death and human mortality) is a liar to think he has such hope (<a href='B:220 41:9'>Job 41:9</a> s:w. "liar"). Job has forgotten his humanity, despite being 'right' in his arguments. This is the problem with possessing truth; it can lead us to wrongly forget our humanity and consider ourselves invincible:&nbsp;Earlier, Job had confidently challenged: "Who is he who will contend with me? For then would I hold my peace and give up the spirit" (<a href='B:220 13:19'>Job 13:19</a>). Job is challenging anyone to come forward and contend with him in court by proving him wrong. If they did, then he would be silent ["hold my peace"] and willingly die. This of course is exactly what happens at the end. God does contend with Job, and he is proven guilty. He lays his hand upon mouth, and we can deduce from his challenge here that he wanted to die. He was then saved from that position by grace alone. The connection with the exiles is in <a href='B:290 50:8'>Isa 50:8</a>, where a similarly convicted Israel would be justified by Divine grace to the point they could again challenge any to convict them of sin, seeing that "He is near that justifies me".</h4><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Job fell into the trap of thinking that his terrible situation somehow allowed him to speak whatever words came into his head. Job felt he hadn’t been ‘fed’ and so he was entitled to “bray” and “low” over his misfortune (<a href='B:220 6:5'>Job 6:5</a>). Because of the weight of his sufferings, he thereby justified the fact that "Therefore have my words been rash (<a href='B:220 6:3'>Job 6:3</a>). Likewise “Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit” (<a href='B:220 7:11'>Job 7:11</a>). “I will give free course to my complaint. I will speak in the bitterness of my soul” (<a href='B:220 10:1'>Job 10:1</a> RV). Zophar criticizes Job being “full of talk” and speaking “the multitude of words”, “for thou sayest, my doctrine is pure” (<a href='B:220 11:1-4'>Job 11:1-4</a>)- as if Job felt that because he held true doctrine he was justified in pouring out words as he did. “Why should I not be impatient?” (<a href='B:220 21:4'>Job 21:4</a> RV). “Today is my complaint bitter. My stroke is heavier than my groaning” (<a href='B:220 23:2'>Job 23:2</a>)- i:e. his complaining was due to his sufferings. “If I hold my peace, I shall give up the spirit” (<a href='B:220 13:19'>Job 13:19</a> RVmg:). Job felt that the situation he was in forced him to use the words he did, and certainly justified it [we may well have used this reasoning ourselves when justifying the use of bad language]. But in the end, Elihu on God’s behalf rebuked him for his wrong words. And Job himself recognized: “I am vile. I will lay mine hand upon my mouth” in regret of his words (<a href='B:220 40:4'>Job 40:4</a>). “Wherefore I loathe my words and repent” (<a href='B:220 42:6'>Job 42:6</a> RVmg:). He realized his mistake: he had thought that the situation justified his words. Now he hung his head and admitted that there was no justification for speaking in the way he had. Especially in the matter of the tongue, we can so easily justify ourselves; ‘I only said / did it [or didn’t do it] because</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>’. And it is all so child-like. Once we leave off all attempts at self-justification, we will face up to our sins.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> I have spoken once, and I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Perhaps he means 'I have spoken once in that I have just said that I have no answer. And now, I am speaking twice, I am saying this. But now I promise absolute silence'. He really appreciates that his many words have been inappropriate.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Because God sees and knows absolutely all, we must recognize that He realizes the unspoken implications of our words. Its possible that Job’s words about silence here are seen by God as Job effectively condemning God, because presumably they were said merely as a mask over Job’s inner feelings that God had been unjust with him (<a href='B:220 40:8'>Job 40:8</a>). But when Job uses effectively the same words in <a href='B:220 42:6'>Job 42:6</a>, God accepts them. God’s ability to see to the core should therefore not only affect our words but elicit in us an honesty of heart behind the words which we use.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Then Yahweh answered Job out of the whirlwind-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This is God's answer to Job's silence (:5). Perhaps the implication is that Job has not yet come to recognize his humanity and repent in the way he needs to. Hence God speaks again.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Now brace yourself like a man-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The idea is that Job is to answer as a human, to recognize his humanity and answer the questions as a man. Job is perhaps not so much asked to repent as to realize his humanity.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I will question you, and you will answer Me-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> His questions of God had been inappropriate, just as the friends had been wrong to seek wisdom by asking the sages, mere men (<a href='B:220 8:8'>Job 8:8</a>; <a href='B:220 21:29'>Job 21:29</a> s:w:); it is for God to question us. For we and not God are in the dock. And Job's vow of silence in :5 was not in fact answering God's previous questions.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Will you even annul My judgment?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> As noted on :5,6, this could be seen as a criticism that Job hadn't said more. He had simply accepted he was condemned and vowed silence. The phrase is used of how Israel had broken covenant with God through breaking His judgments in the sense of His commands (<a href='B:30 26:15'>Lev 26:15</a>). Job at this point absolutely represents the exiles, who had broken covenant and needed to repent and accept the new covenant offered to them (s:w. <a href='B:300 11:10'>Jer 11:10</a>; <a href='B:300 31:32'>Jer 31:32</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Will you condemn Me, that you may be justified?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The final speeches of God and Elihu brought home the point that the righteousness achieved by man was not comparable with God's righteousness (e:g. 40:7-10). Any attempt at self justification is to condemn God as a false accuser. We are left to draw the conclusion: that the only way for man to be just with God is through the imputation of God's righteousness to man, by absolute grace:&nbsp;We must give due weight to the words of the prologue, that God saw Job anyway as "perfect", as justified:&nbsp;The sense may be that God is saying 'You are justified, by My grace; you don't have to condemn Me by self-justification in order to be justified. You are justified by My grace without your effort'. God's justification of Job and Job's innocence are thereby reconciled.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Or do you have an arm like God? Can you thunder with a voice like Him?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The reference is to the thunderstorm which was perhaps still ongoing. God's arm is often associated with His salvation. Man cannot save himself, as he has no saving arm like God's; and to attempt to do so is to justify ourselves, thereby condemning God (:8).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Now deck yourself with excellency and dignity. Array yourself with honour and majesty-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This alludes to the garments of the priests, for glory and beauty. Job had already been stripped of his glorious priestly robes, as we learn from <a href='B:220 19:9'>Job 19:9</a>: "He has stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head":&nbsp; The stripping of Job recalls the stripping of the priest Aaron of his clothes and "crown" [mitre[ when his priesthood ended (<a href='B:40 20:26'>Num 20:26</a>; <a href='B:40 20:28'>Num 20:28</a>). The same word is used of the stripping of God's people of their glory (<a href='B:330 16:39'>Eze 16:39</a>; <a href='B:330 23:26'>Eze 23:26</a>; <a href='B:400 3:3'>Mic 3:3</a>), which only happened because they themselves did not strip themselves of their clothing in repentance (s:w. <a href='B:290 32:11'>Isa 32:11</a>;&nbsp; <a href='B:330 26:16'>Eze 26:16</a>). Job's stripping and inability to reclothe himself was therefore to elicit repentance in him. And this is what is now finally achieved at the end of the book. God is of Himself "clothed with majesty and strength" (<a href='B:230 93:1'>Psa 93:1</a>), "with glory and beauty" (<a href='B:230 104:1'>Psa 104:1</a>). Job need not seek to play God by using legal rituals and religious clothing. This was not going to help Job.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Pour out the fury of your anger-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Heb. "the floods of wrath", preparing the way for Job to be taught that he need not fear such floods himself (:23).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Look at each one who is proud, and bring him low-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This judgment of pride is God's work, and not Job's. If God alone is the judge and the One who can condemn, all Job's struggles over issues of justice ['judging'] were thereby inappropriate. And that is true today, in a world where judging issues of justice appears to be the passion of every man.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Look at each one who is proud, and humble him. Crush the wicked in their place-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job has observed that the wicked prosper, whilst he the righteous is suffering. God reminds Job that He has the power to condemn, and He will do so- looking at literally each one who is proud, throughout time and space. Job cannot do this. His unspoken desires that the wicked be judged by himself are addressed here. He obviously felt the injustice so deeply- that he suffered, whilst the wicked prospered. God's answer is that Job is incapable of judging them. But He will. Recognizing our inability to condemn and judge will help us in coping with the painful issues of injustice which surround us.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Hide them in the dust together. Bind their faces in the hidden place-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The faces of the condemned were covered, as Haman's was. The judgment of the wicked was to be death in the dust (and not eternal conscious torment). The question is, can Job condemn men and turn them to dust? No he can't. So his struggles over issues of justice were misplaced, and were actually an implication that he thought that his arm could bring salvation.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Then I will also admit to you that your own right hand can save you-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The question is, can Job condemn men and turn them to dust (:13)? No he can't. So his struggles over issues of justice were misplaced, and were actually an implication that he thought that his arm could bring salvation.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> See now, Behemoth, which I made as well as you. He eats grass like an ox-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Behemoth" can be read as the intensive plural of behema, a beast. Whatever actual beast is in view, perhaps the hippopotamus, it is simply presented as a beast. The argument will develop, that Job is part of the same creation as Behemoth, the most awesome and terrifying things created by God. And if he is at peace with his place within that creation, he need not fear. See on :20,23.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Perhaps we are to see in this a reference to Nebuchadnezzar being made to eat grass like an ox. The wild beasts of Judah's aggressors were all under God's control, even the most apparently mighty of them. Leviathan and Behemoth are monster figures appearing at the end of the book of Job, to form a kind of inclusio with the opening reference to Satan; and they are clearly part of God’s final answer to Job’s “case”. Behe–mot can be understood as a reference to Mot, the Canaanite god of death.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'></p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Look now, his strength is in his thighs. His force is in the muscles of his belly-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> These descriptions would be appropriate to a hippopotamus. "Look now" could suggest they were standing by a river, and the animal arose out of it at God's command. The theophany in a whirlwind by a river, with lightnings, is what Ezekiel experienced. The hope was that the exiles would likewise be moved to follow Job's path through repentance to restoration.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> He moves his tail like a cedar. The sinews of his thighs are knit together-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Again these descriptions would be appropriate to a hippopotamus. Job would have feared the beast as it moved its tail, for they arise out of rivers to feed on crops. But he need not fear, for the hippopotamus eats plants not men (:15). Again Job was being taught that in the face of apparently overwhelming opposition, his life would be preserved. And this was the lesson for the exiles too. See on :20.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> His bones are like tubes of brass. His limbs are like bars of iron-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Babylon's defences of brass and iron would likewise be no barrier to the restoration of God's people, for all was under His control (<a href='B:290 45:2'>Isa 45:2</a>), and Israel could be made as strong (<a href='B:400 4:13'>Mic 4:13</a>) seeing they were part of the same creation that had made this animal (:15).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> He is the chief of the ways of God. He who made him gives him His sword-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The primary reference may be to the very sharp teeth of the hippopotamus. This would be a connection to how the sword of Babylon had been Yahweh's sword. Even the most awful wild beast in Israel's experience, Babylon, was under God's control and manipulated by Him. Hence LXX "This is the chief of the creation of the Lord; made to be played with by his angels". It is God who not only created Behemoth, but can effortlessly control him in accord with His purpose. That’s the comfort of the message. Indeed the descriptions of the natural world which lead up to the Leviathan / Behemoth passages are there to underline this point; and it’s interesting that those passages zoom in upon the cruelties and even brutalities within nature. Yet these are all of God’s ultimate design and creation, and under His providential control. Job had earlier perceived this; for he responds to the friends’ allusions to an evil ‘Satan’ figure as the source of his suffering by observing: “Ask the animals::. The birds of the air::. [they show that] the hand of the Lord [and not any supernatural ‘Satan’] has done this” (<a href='B:220 12:7-9'>Job 12:7-9</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Surely the mountains produce food for him, where all the animals of the field play-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The animals of the field don't fear the hippopotamus, although Job did (:17). But he need not fear, for the hippopotamus eats plants not men (:15). Again Job was being taught that in the face of apparently overwhelming opposition, his life would be preserved. And this was the lesson for the exiles too. Job was to recognize that he too was part of the same creation that had brought forth the hippopotamus (:15), and if he did so, then he too could live at peace in the presence of such an awesome beast.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> He lies under the lotus trees, in the cover of the reed, and the marsh-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> LXX "by the papyrus", perhaps a reference to Babylon's mastery over Egypt. But the connection is to some words of Bildad in <a href='B:220 8:11'>Job 8:11</a> "Can the papyrus grow up without mire? Can the rushes grow without water?". Bildad's idea is that Job's prosperity was like a quick growing papyrus which would soon wither (<a href='B:220 8:12'>Job 8:12</a>) because it had not enough water or mud. Bildad's reasoning is wrong, but clearly the Lord quarried His parable of the sower from parts of these ideas. For He speaks of the man who has no "depth of earth" as the one who responds eagerly to the word sown, but falls away "when affliction of persecution arises for the word's sake" because he has 'no root in himself' (<a href='B:480 4:5'>Mar 4:5</a>; <a href='B:480 4:17'>Mar 4:17</a>). Bildad was therefore not simply saying that Job's persecution was because he had sinned; but rather he implies that Job had lost his faith after the persecution arose, because he had no real root in faith. In this Bildad was also wrong, for Job continually seeks to God in his tribulations. Behemoth was quite at home in the "mire" or "marsh" (s:w. <a href='B:220 40:21'>Job 40:21</a>); and the connection is in order to demonstrate that even the "mire" was created by God and just as He saved Jeremiah out of the mire of the dungeon, so He could save Job and the exiles. And the only other usage of the word is in the description of the healing of the "miry places" (<a href='B:330 47:11'>Eze 47:11</a>) if the exiles were responsive to the prophetic call to restore the temple and city made in Ezekiel 40-48.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The lotuses cover him with their shade. The willows of the brook surround him-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Trees often represent nations, and here we have a picture of the nations being subservient to Babylon. LXX "And the great trees make a shadow over him with their branches, and so do the bushes of the field".</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Behold, if a river overflows, he doesn’t tremble. He is confident, though the Jordan swells even to his mouth-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> As noted on :20, Job was to recognize that he too was part of the same creation that had brought forth the hippopotamus (:15), and if he did so, then he too could live at peace in the presence of overflowing, flooded rivers; which represent the invaders of God's people and His judgment of men (see on :11). Even if those rivers came up to his mouth, they would go no further. Just as Job had been promised in the prologue that his life would be preserved. And the swelling of the rivers of Israel's enemies would likewise not destroy Israel. They need not tremble as the faithless did in the times of Isaiah.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Shall any take him when he is on the watch, or pierce through his nose with a snare?- The idea is as GNB "The most amazing of all my creatures! Only his Creator can defeat him". And indeed God would overthrow Babylon and allow the exiles to return.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Can you draw out Leviathan-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Leviathan and Behemoth are monster figures appearing at the end of the book of Job, to form a kind of inclusio with the opening reference to Satan; and they are clearly part of God’s final answer to Job’s “case”. Leviathan appears to be the Canaanite version of the orthodox ‘Satan’ figure, perhaps a reference to the ‘Lotan’ of the Ugaritic myths. In great detail, these figures are deconstructed. They are shown to be created beings – created by the one almighty God of the Old Testament, to be completely under His control to the point that He can even tease them, so enormously greater is His power than theirs. These Canaanite ‘Satan’ figures are thereby shown to have no significant existence; and they certainly don’t exist as opposed to God. They are totally under His control. And yet these monster figures clearly have characteristics shared by known animals, such as the hippopotamus, crocodile etc. Those similarities are intended. It’s been well observed: “To say that Leviathan has characteristics of the crocodile and the whale is not to say that it is such a creature, but rather to suggest that evil is rooted in the natural world” (Robert S. Fyall, Now My Eyes Have Seen You: Images of Creation and Evil in the Book of Job (Leicester: I:V:P. / Apollos, 2002) p. 27) – and the point is so laboured in Job that the natural world is of God’s complete creation. ‘Evil’ in a form independent of Him, in radical opposition to Him, simply isn’t there.</p><h4>It’s significant that dragons in the form of serpents were common in Babylonian theology. Figures on vases show serpent griffins, there was one on Marduk’s temple in Nippur, and also on the Ishtar Gate in Babylon. These would have been familiar to Judah in Babylonian captivity; and we have suggested that the book of Job was edited there, under inspiration, for their benefit. They may well have seen a similarity between the Babylonian monsters and the Leviathan / Behemoth beasts. That God is greater than Leviathan and can do what He wills with him would therefore have had a special meaning to the faithful Jew in exile. In a restoration context, Isaiah comforted Judah that God would destroy “Leviathan the gliding serpent; He will slay the monster of the sea” (<a href='B:290 27:1'>Isa 27:1</a>). The real ‘monster’ faced by Judah in exile wasn’t a supernatural being; it was a concrete kingdom of men on earth, namely Babylon. God taught Job, and through him showcased to the watching world, that all such imaginations of Leviathan, monsters in the raging sea, crooked serpents etc. were vain – in any case, God had created them and used them to do His will with His people, symbolized as they were by Job. His sitting in dust and ashes is very much the picture of Judah sitting by the rivers of Babylon, bemoaning their losses. The language of Job’s captivity being ‘turned’ (<a href='B:220 42:10'>Job 42:10</a>) is the very term used about the restoration of Judah from Babylon (<a href='B:300 29:14'>Jer 29:14</a>; <a href='B:230 126:4'>Psa 126:4</a>).</h4><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>With a fishhook, or press down his tongue with a cord?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> God almost jokes with Job, that he had been trying to draw out Leviathan with a fish hook (<a href='B:220 41:1'>Job 41:1</a>), and I see that as a commentary upon so many human attempts to get a handle on the way God is the adversary / Satan figure in our lives. Shrugging it off as chance and bad luck, believing in a personal Satan in the sea or in Heaven, thinking God is punishing us::. all this is trying to capture Leviathan with a mere fishing rod. The book of Job isn’t an explanation for specific human suffering – and many who turn to the book looking for that come away disappointed. Rather is it an account of God’s sovereign power, putting meaning into the word “All–mighty” when applied to God. On a ‘doctrinal’ level it is indeed a deconstruction of the ideas of supernatural ‘Satan’ figures. But on a more personal level, it challenges us to follow in Job’s faithful footsteps, as it challenged Judah in captivity. See on <a href='B:220 42:2'>Job 42:2</a>.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I suggested on <a href='B:220 40:16'>Job 40:16</a> that Behemoth was a hippopotamus which arose from a river. "Look now" could suggest they were standing by a river, and the animal arose out of it at God's command. The theophany in a whirlwind by a river, with lightnings, is what Ezekiel experienced. The hope was that the exiles would likewise be moved to follow Job's path through repentance to restoration. Here now God seems to bring a crocodile out of the same river, "Leviathan". Unlike the hippopotamus which is a herbivore, the crocodile was likely to attack and eat Job. He was thrown back to the promise of the prologue that God would preserve his life, just as He would the national life of Judah from every wild beast. Job's experience with Behemoth was to prepare him for the encounter now with Leviathan the crocodile.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Can you put a rope into his nose, or pierce his jaw through with a hook?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This and the following verses use the language of captivity. Prisoners were treated in this way in victory processions. The language is so relevant to the exiles who had been led away into captivity; and God could lead their captors captive, in a way only He could, just as He as it were led Job's captivity captive.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Will he make many petitions to you, or will he speak soft words to you?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This is exactly how captives spoke to their captors; see on :2 (cp. <a href='B:110 20:32'>1Ki 20:32</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Will he make a covenant with you-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Captive kings were forced to make covenants with their captors; see on :2.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>That you should take him for a servant forever?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Just as Job is described as God’s “servant” (<a href='B:220 1:8'>Job 1:8</a>), so is Leviathan (Job 40:28; <a href='B:220 41:4'>Job 41:4</a>). No evil power uncontrolled by God is at work in Job’s life. We also need to give due weight to the fact that God speaks the Leviathan / Behemoth passages “out of the storm”, which had been gathering since <a href='B:220 37:2'>Job 37:2</a>. This is significant because storms were seen as manifestations of evil powers. Yet here (and elsewhere in Scripture), the one true God speaks out of such storms, to demonstrate how far greater He is than any storm god; and showing by implication that such storm gods don’t exist, and the ‘evil’ which supposedly came from them was in fact under His control.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>In pagan myth, Baal was temporarily conquered by Mot, and the Ugaritic poem about their conflict which was found in the Ras Shamra texts speaks of how Baal was made a “slave forever” (Umberto Cassuto, Biblical and Oriental Studies (Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1975) Vol. 2 p. 6). This very language is picked up in <a href='B:220 41:4'>Job 41:4</a>, where God mocks that in no way would He become a “slave forever”. The allusion shows that the one true God is in no way Baal. He is greater than Baal. Unlike Baal, He is in no conflict with Mot nor anyone. Baal’s sister, Anath, muzzled a dragon with great difficulty – but Yahweh muzzled Leviathan and then sported with him (<a href='B:220 41:1-5'>Job 41:1-5</a>). The poem challenges Baal to “Pierce through Lotan the serpent, destroy the serpent the seven headed tyrant” (Cassuto, ibid p. 7). Yet this is exactly the language picked up in <a href='B:290 27:1'>Isa 27:1</a>: “Yahweh will punish with His powerful, great and mighty sword Leviathan the serpent, Leviathan the serpent, and He will slay the dragon”. Yahweh’s utter supremacy over any other god is so great that it makes all ideas of cosmic conflict simply laughable. Psalms 92; Psalms 10 likewise: “Lo, thine enemies, I YHWH, lo, thine enemies shall perish, all evil doers shall be scattered” alludes to Part 3 lines 8 and 9 of the poem about the Mot–Baal conflict: “Lo, thine enemies, O Baal, lo thine enemies wilt thou pierce through, lo, thou wilt destroy thine adversaries” (Cassuto, ibid p. 8). Note too that Baal’s enemies, i:e. Mot and the demons of the underworld, are paralleled with “evildoers”. Human sinners rather than demons are the real issue.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Will you play with him as with a bird? Or will you bind him for your girls?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> God is not only the victorious captor of leviathan, but He can play with him as a pet, and even give him as a pet to His children. And God's children are His people. The same idea is in <a href='B:220 40:19'>Job 40:19</a> LXX "This is the chief of the creation of the Lord; made to be played with by his angels".</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Will traders barter for him? Will they part him among the merchants?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This alludes to how captives were sold into slavery; see on :2.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Can you fill his skin with barbed irons, or his head with fish spears?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> These weapons would have no effect on the head of a crocodile, which is covered by extremely hard skin. No human device or weapon could destroy the crocodile, only God could take him captive.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Lay your hand on him. Remember the battle, and do so no more-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The idea may be that if Job tries to lay hands on the crocodile, he will do it only once and will not live to do it again. Eliphaz claims that God is preparing to judge Job like a king ready to ride into the battle (<a href='B:220 15:24'>Job 15:24</a>). But God's later revelation includes Him demonstrating that man cannot participate successfully in any battle with what God has willed (<a href='B:220 41:8'>Job 41:8</a>), and the horse runs foolishly into battle with no regard for consequence (<a href='B:220 39:25'>Job 39:25</a>). The connection with the words of Eliphaz may be in that it was effectively Eliphaz who was rushing into battle to do judgment against Job; and he was acting like the foolish horse, forgetting that God alone will fight in the battle, and win (<a href='B:220 38:23'>Job 38:23</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Behold, the hope of binding him is vain. Won’t one be cast down even at the sight of him?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Vain" is literally "a liar". In <a href='B:220 24:25'>Job 24:25</a> he has boasted of the strength of his own speeches: "If it isn’t so now, who will prove me a liar [s:w. "vain"], and make my speech worth nothing?". Job has argued himself into an invincible position, in his own eyes. Indeed, all he says is true; but like the friends, truths are expressed but within a wrong context. Finally Job is to lay his hand upon his mouth in repentance (<a href='B:240 30:32'>Pro 30:32</a>; <a href='B:400 7:16'>Mic 7:16</a>) and recognize he has not spoken rightly (<a href='B:220 40:4'>Job 40:4</a>), although he earlier demanded the friends lay their hands upon their mouths before the power of his arguments (<a href='B:220 21:5'>Job 21:5</a>). God confirms this here by remarking that whoever has hope of overcoming Leviathan, His great beast (perhaps representing death and human mortality) is a liar to think he has such hope. Job has forgotten his humanity, despite being 'right' in his arguments. This is the problem with possessing truth; it can lead us to wrongly forget our humanity and consider ourselves invincible.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> None is so fierce that he dare stir him up. Who then is he who can stand before Me?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The reference is to how crocodiles are seen sleeping by the banks of rivers, but no man dare "stir him up" or even creep near him. But despite God's awesomeness, Job at that point was standing before God. The "sons of God" of the prologue likewise stood before the Lord. The idea is that this can only be possible through God's grace, and Job and the friends had been unaware of how awesome it was to be able to stand before God.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Who has first given to Me, that I should repay him?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This is quoted in <a href='B:520 11:35'>Rom 11:35</a> AV: "who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?". The context is Paul marvelling at God's utter grace. This was clearly how he was led to interpret this verse in Job. There is again legal language here; as if to say 'Who has put me under any legal obligation, forcing Me to do what you say and repay you what I owe you?". All Job's persistent demands to meet God in judgment were therefore inappropriate (<a href='B:220 9:34-35'>Job 9:34-35</a>; <a href='B:220 10:3'>Job 10:3</a>; <a href='B:220 13:3'>Job 13:3</a>; <a href='B:220 13:22'>Job 13:22</a>; <a href='B:220 23:3-7'>Job 23:3-7</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Everything under the heavens is Mine-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Much of the language used about Leviathan and Behemoth is also used about God’s manifestation of Himself. Smoke from nostrils, flame from mouth (<a href='B:220 41:11-12'>Job 41:11-12</a>)= <a href='B:230 18:8'>Psa 18:8</a>; Strength before and dismay behind (<a href='B:220 41:14'>Job 41:14</a> Heb:) = Pestilence before and plague behind (<a href='B:420 3:5'>Hab 3:5</a>); Strong ones and leaders cringe in fear (<a href='B:220 41:17'>Job 41:17</a> Heb:) = Earth reels (<a href='B:230 18:7'>Psa 18:7</a>) and mountains tremble (<a href='B:420 3:6'>Hab 3:6</a>); Deep sea stirred up (<a href='B:220 41:23-24'>Job 41:23-24</a> Heb:) = Deep sea laid bare (<a href='B:230 18:5'>Psa 18:5</a>) ; Terrible teeth = Job felt that God was gnashing His teeth at him (<a href='B:220 16:9'>Job 16:9</a>); Breath carries men away = The breath of God’s mouth will carry away the wicked (<a href='B:220 15:30'>Job 15:30</a>); On earth there is not his equal (<a href='B:220 41:33'>Job 41:33</a>) = Only ultimately true of God. Leviathan is called the ‘cruel one’ (<a href='B:220 41:10'>Job 41:10</a>) – and the very same word is used by Job about God in His afflicting Job in <a href='B:220 30:21'>Job 30:21</a>. Leviathan, the seemingly overbearing power of evil in the world, be it in the early satan myths or Baylon, is in fact a manifestation of God to such an intense degree that effectively it ‘is’ God; God, ultimately, is the adversary / Satan to Job. The epilogue and prologue to Job are evidently related; see on <a href='B:220 42:6'>Job 42:6</a>.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, nor his mighty strength, nor his goodly frame-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> LXX "I will not be silent because of him: though because of his power one shall pity his antagonist". God pities Job because he had thought that in his own strength he could be right with God. This is perhaps what is in view in <a href='B:660 5:11'>Jas 5:11</a>, where we learn that at "the end of the Lord" in His relationship with Job, He showed Himself "very pitiful". This means that God is not shooting out these challenges to Job in anger or in offence at a mortal man, but rather in pity.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Who can strip off his outer garment? Who shall come within his jaws?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The reference is to the scaly "coat" of the crocodile. If that cannot be taken off, there is no chance to open his mouth and enter between his jaws, where crocodiles have ""two rows of sharply pointed teeth, thirty or more on each side".</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Who can open the doors of his face? Around his teeth is terror-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This may be an answer to Job's complaint in <a href='B:220 16:9'>Job 16:9</a> that God "has gnashed on me with His teeth". <a href='B:220 41:14'>Job 41:14</a> speaks of how terrible are the teeth of the creature God has made; but He alone can open the mouth of it and is fearless before its' teeth. The idea of the connection back to <a href='B:220 16:9'>Job 16:9</a> is that God knows all about teeth. He has designed them, and even if Job thinks God is gnashing at Him like a beast, he must accept that God creates the beast and its teeth.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>It is God alone who can "open" or "shut up" Leviathan (:15). Ginzberg demonstrates that the Jews saw the monster ‘Rahab’ and Leviathan as the same entity; and twice Job stresses how infinitely greater than Rahab is Yahweh. When God starts speaking about Leviathan, He is therefore confirming the truth of what Job has earlier said about His power over Rahab / Leviathan. The context of Job’s comments was to answer the theories of the friends – and God is as it were confirming that Job’s deconstruction of their ‘Satan’ theories was correct. The same Hebrew words are used about God’s binding and loosing of the stars [which were thought to control evil on earth] and His binding, loosing and opening of Leviathan’s mouth (<a href='B:220 38:31'>Job 38:31</a> cp. Job 40:29). Whether or not Leviathan / a ‘Satan’ figure, or the bad stars, are for real::. God is in utter control of them, and there is thus no conflict, no war in Heaven, no ultimate dualism at all in the cosmos. Which is just the message we would expect from a monotheistic Old Testament book. Israel’s God is truly the Almighty.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>"Open" is the word for 'loosing'. Job sees God as capable of binding and loosing him, untying the cords that restrain affliction and then binding them up again (<a href='B:220 30:11'>Job 30:11</a> s:w:). God's response is that indeed this is the case, and such binding and loosing is seen throughout the natural creation (s:w. <a href='B:220 38:31'>Job 38:31</a>; <a href='B:220 39:5'>Job 39:5</a>; <a href='B:220 41:14'>Job 41:14</a>). And therefore, Job and the exiles are to live in hope of being bound up in safety from affliction, just as God "untied His cord and afflicted me" in <a href='B:220 30:11'>Job 30:11</a>.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>"Terror" is what the friends believed would come upon Job (<a href='B:220 20:25'>Job 20:25</a> s:w:). "Terrors" are again the judgment of God upon an apostate Israel, whom Job was suffering for whilst innocent, after the pattern of the later Lord Jesus (<a href='B:50 32:25'>Deu 32:25</a> s:w:). Those "terrors" were likely understood by the friends as some kind of demonic beings. God deconstructs this by explaining that the great beasts He has created likewise were 'terrible' (s:w. "terrors"). But the simple point was that He had created them and was totally in control (s:w. <a href='B:220 39:20'>Job 39:20</a>; <a href='B:220 41:14'>Job 41:14</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Strong scales are his pride, shut up together with a close seal-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The scales of the crocodile resemble shields. The idea is that this beast represents the enemies of God's people, with none of their soldiers breaking rank, just as the prophets envisage Israel's enemies. But these are also all designed and created by God and can be manipulated by Him at will.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> One is so near to another, that no air can come between them-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Air" here is ruach, the usual word for wind or spirit. If "air" was all that was meant, a different Hebrew word would be used. The idea is that there is a designed unity here between the shields / scales which God's Spirit will not break apart. This is a unity created by God. Unity comes from Him alone. And this is what we see in functional relationships within marriages and true churches.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> They are joined one to another. They stick together, so that they can’t be pulled apart-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The idea is that they are soldered to each other by God; see on :16.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> His sneezing flashes out light. His eyes are like the eyelids of the morning-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> In <a href='B:220 15:12'>Job 15:12</a> Eliphaz condemned Job: "Why do your eyes flash?". Job was indeed angry, with flashing eyes. But the expression of emotion is misinterpreted as being angry with God (:13). God's special creation, Leviathan, also had flashing eyes (<a href='B:220 41:18-19'>Job 41:18-19</a>). Perhaps this is God's way of saying that eyes flashing with anger is not necessarily sinful of itself, and is all part of the natural created order, and is not worthy of rebuke in itself. This is said against the backdrop of a Bedouin culture where expressions of emotion were only to be made in appropriate ways.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Out of his mouth go burning torches. Sparks of fire leap forth-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The crocodile which had crawled up to Job is now transformed by God into more than an animal (:20 too). He starts to appear like part of the cherubim vision. The "burning torches" is s:w. "burning lamp" in the theophany of <a href='B:10 15:17'>Gen 15:17</a>; <a href='B:330 1:13'>Eze 1:13</a>; <a href='B:340 10:6'>Dan 10:6</a> and <a href='B:20 20:18'>Exo 20:18</a>. This apparently frightful beast is actually a manifestation of Yahweh's glory. And that burning torch is how Yahweh's salvation shone forth for the exiles (s:w. <a href='B:290 62:1'>Isa 62:1</a>), and how the revived Judah could become (s:w. <a href='B:450 12:6'>Zec 12:6</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Out of his nostrils a smoke goes, as of a boiling pot over a fire of reeds-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This continues the language of God manifestation / theophany; see on :19. The "smoke" is s:w. <a href='B:10 15:17'>Gen 15:17</a>; <a href='B:20 19:18'>Exo 19:18</a> and other visions of God manifestation. "Goes" is the word for 'bring forth' in <a href='B:220 28:11'>Job 28:11</a>: "The thing that is hidden He brings forth to light". God can reveal everything physical, if He wishes. But man will still not find "wisdom" if he is searching for it as a 'physical' thing, obtained by a process of mining and subsequent refining. That reveals merely "stones of obscurity" (<a href='B:220 28:3'>Job 28:3</a>), nuggets of isolated truth. This message needs to be heeded by those who consider the Christian duty is to search out academic truth, mining it from the pages of the Bible and further processing it. This of itself is not to be despised, but this can be done as the Pharisees did it, and as the friends did- without coming to the awesome personal encounter with God and His grace with which the book of Job concludes. God can dry up the streams so that those panning in them thigh deep for precious stones- find them. He can bring them to light, but this is not the same thing as the "wisdom" of personal relationship with Him and departing from evil in our hearts (<a href='B:220 28:9-10'>Job 28:9-10</a>; <a href='B:220 28:28'>Job 28:28</a>). This is what was happening on Job's life; God was 'bringing forth' light from death, deep things from darkness (s:w. <a href='B:220 12:22'>Job 12:22</a>). And this was realized by God bringing it forth, and not man's search for 'truth'. Job as a person was to be 'brought forth' by God as gold from that fire of affliction (<a href='B:220 23:10'>Job 23:10</a> s:w:). Just as plants are 'brought forth' from the earth without the need for mining under the earth (<a href='B:220 28:5'>Job 28:5</a> s:w:). This is why God's reply to Job keeps on using this word for 'bring forth', labouring the point that God 'brings forth' by His processes and initiatives, and not man. And that is as a code stamped upon all of creation (<a href='B:220 38:8'>Job 38:8</a>; <a href='B:220 38:29'>Job 38:29</a>; <a href='B:220 38:32'>Job 38:32</a>; <a href='B:220 39:4'>Job 39:4</a>; <a href='B:220 39:21'>Job 39:21</a>; <a href='B:220 41:20-21'>Job 41:20-21</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> His breath kindles coals. A flame goes forth from his mouth-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> LXX "His breath is as live coals, and a flame goes out of his mouth". All this is the language of the cherubim. Leviathan, the great wild beast, was under God's control and Judah's whole experience with Babylon would result finally in the glory of Yahweh being revealed through this beast. The tragedy is that Babylon didn't fall as prophesied, at the time (it will in the last days, as Revelation 18 makes clear). The Jews preferred to remain in Babylon, and those who returned didn't act as they ought to have done. But it was the Divine intention that His glory be revealed through the fall of Babylon leading to Judah's exit from exile.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> There is strength in his neck. Terror dances before him-</p><h4> This would be true of the crocodile, whose neck is about the same diameter as its head. AV "Sorrow is turned into joy before him". "Sorrow" or "terror" is also translated "fear". This creature which would strike fear into any man actually turns fear into joy. Through this awful, terrifying beast under God's control, fear of judgment is turned into joy in God's presence.</h4>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The flakes of his flesh are joined together. They are firm on him. They can’t be moved-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The body of the crocodile is so compacted together that all its parts must move together, and the crocodile therefore has difficulty in turning. This theme is continued in the reference to him having a stone firm heart (:24). This is all similar language to that of the cherubim, who turned not as they went (<a href='B:330 10:11'>Eze 10:11</a>). See on :19,20. God's movement is likewise multi factorial, all touched by it are part of the wider plan to manifest His saving glory, and it moves one way- towards human salvation.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> His heart is as firm as a stone, yes, firm as the lower millstone-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> See on :23, which uses the same word for "firm".</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid. They retreat before his thrashing-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Likewise Job and all men must retreat before God's raising up of Himself in manifestation, as was happening in the ongoing theophany. Job has already perceived this in theory, saying that he can do nothing when God raises Himself up (s:w. <a href='B:220 31:23'>Job 31:23</a>). But now what he had heard by the ear, known in theory, his eye was seeing (<a href='B:220 42:5'>Job 42:5</a>). "Retreat" is AV "they purify themselves"; and the friends would soon have to do this, through Job's agency in offering for them as he had once offered for the purifying of his children. "Thrashing" is the word for 'destruction', commonly used of the exiles' destruction (<a href='B:290 51:19'>Isa 51:19</a> etc:). The exiles needed to see in that the raising up of God as leviathan, and to purify themselves in repentance.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> If one attacks him with the sword, it can’t prevail; nor the spear, the dart, nor the pointed shaft-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> No weapon formed could prosper against Leviathan, just as no weapon formed against Israel would (<a href='B:290 54:17'>Isa 54:17</a>)- if they were on the side of God's manifestation, if this theophany was for and not against them.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> He counts iron as straw; and brass as rotten wood-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> All human strength was as nothing before leviathan; and Job grasps this lesson with both hands in the next chapter. See on :26.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The arrow can’t make him flee. Sling stones are like chaff to him-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Or "slingers". All the military strength and device of Gentile nations against Babylon would come to nothing. And yet Judah trusted desperately in Egypt and other Gentile nations to save them from Babylon. But God as the creator of this beast would remove it in due time. See on :26.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Zophar claims that Job was going to flee from the arrow of Divine judgment, but would all the same be struck through by it (<a href='B:220 20:24-25'>Job 20:24-25</a>). God's response was that His creatures didn't flee from His arrows (s:w. <a href='B:220 41:28'>Job 41:28</a>). Neither did Job flee from God; he uses the same term to describe how the wicked vainly tried to flee from God (<a href='B:220 27:22'>Job 27:22</a>). He was in harmony with the natural creation. Zophar was wrong. Job didn't flee from God but quite the opposite- he keeps begging God to reveal Himself, and He does so at the end of the book.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Clubs are counted as stubble. He laughs at the rushing of the javelin-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This is all the language of Divine judgment (<a href='B:410 3:3'>Nah 3:3</a>; <a href='B:310 3:13'>Lam 3:13</a>). The horse doesn't fear that (<a href='B:220 39:23'>Job 39:23</a>), just as Leviathan doesn't (<a href='B:220 41:29'>Job 41:29</a>). He is as he is, not always wise, but free from the fear of judgment, not fearing the battle as men fear it. And this was perhaps how God wants His people to be, and this was in fact how Job was. See on :26.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> His undersides are like sharp potsherds, leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "His belly is covered with jagged scales"—a thing which is true of the crocodile, but scarcely of any other beast. LXX appears to more pointedly refer to Babylon, the 'golden city': "His lair is formed of sharp points; and all the gold of the sea under him is an immense quantity of clay".</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> He makes the deep to boil like a pot. He makes the sea like a pot of ointment-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Referring to how the path of the crocodile through water causes an impression of boiling water. The sea / water was seen as the habitation of evil, radical evil out of God's control. But Leviathan / the manifestation of God could make it boil, and yet also make it as placidly calm as a pot of ointment when he is finished. And that was what was about to happen to Job.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>"Boil" is the word used of Job's afflictions in <a href='B:220 30:27'>Job 30:27</a> AV "My bowels boiled". This is the word used for the boiling of the exiles under Divine judgment (<a href='B:330 24:5'>Eze 24:5</a>). God is able to make things boil in the natural creation and then make them perfectly still (<a href='B:220 41:31'>Job 41:31</a> s:w:); and the message was that the days of affliction, the intense boiling of Job and later the exiles, could be made still in a moment.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> He makes a path shine after him. One would think the deep had white hair-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Referring to the white path of spray left by the crocodile as it passes through water. Job's experiences were of affliction set in his "path" (s:w. <a href='B:220 19:8'>Job 19:8</a>). And the Bedouins he curses in <a href='B:220 30:1-12'>Job 30:1-12</a> were those who had abused him in that "path" (<a href='B:220 30:13'>Job 30:13</a>). So it seems he has in view the Sabeans who had abused him in the prologue, and yet this section also has clear reference to the friends. Yet that "path" of affliction which God had given Job was the path of wisdom and relationship with Him which was indiscernible to the human eye (<a href='B:220 28:7'>Job 28:7</a> cp. 28); the fact that the ultimate path is invisible to the secular, naked eye is a truth stamped upon the natural creation (<a href='B:220 38:20'>Job 38:20</a>), and yet after the affliction or trouble caused by the passing of Leviathan, perhaps symbolic of the huge grief in Job's life, the pattern for Israel's future suffering at the hands of the beast::. this path shines clearly (<a href='B:220 41:32'>Job 41:32</a>). And this was to be Job's experience at his restoration, as it could have been likewise for the exiles.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> On earth there is not his equal, that is made without fear-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> LXX "There is nothing upon the earth like to him, formed to be sported with by my angels". Again, we see taught the utter supremacy of God over the greatest of the wild beasts, Babylon.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> He sees everything that is high. He is king over all the sons of pride- The idea may be that the crocodile is king over all the animals, even the proud lions- representative of Babylon, in the context of the exiles. LXX "He is king of all that are in the waters", speaking of Babylon's supremacy over the nations.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Then Job answered Yahweh-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job finally answers, and we are all ears. For God has said earlier that He doesn't accept Job's silence. He wants an answer of sorts, although there is no legitimate one. It has been observed that the Covenant name of Yahweh is not used in the speeches of Job and the friends. Instead they speak of God as El (power) or Shaddai (the fruitful one). This shows how they perceived God as the awesome power of the universe, the one who granted their physical blessings in response to their obedience to Him. 'God' was like a profitable insurance policy. But Yahweh is fundamentally a saviour-God, one who manifests Himself in men for their salvation, and is supremely manifested in the Son. Significantly, we are told in chapter 42 that Job finally spoke to Yahweh; it was to Him that he said: " I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth thee" (:5). He came to understand God's Name, His personality, in far greater fullness. He came to appreciate far more the extent of God's manifestation in the true friend which he looked forward to. Our sufferings and traumas have a like effect, if we respond as Job did. Note that both Jacob and Samson, in their time of spiritual maturity, also reached a higher appreciation of the names of God. Reflect likewise how Abraham told Isaac that “Elohim yir’eh”, the elohim would provide the sacrifice; but after the wonder of the ram being provided, he named the place “Yahweh yir’eh” (<a href='B:10 22:14'>Gen 22:14</a>). The experience of this foreshadowing of the cross led him to know the Yahweh Name more fully; and for this reason it can be shown that the cross was the supreme means of that Name being declared to men.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be restrained-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job has said this already in <a href='B:220 10:13'>Job 10:13</a> LXX: "Having these things in thyself, I know that thou canst do all things; for nothing is impossible with thee". Job at the end repeats these words, but really understanding and meaning them as a result of his sufferings, turning theoretical knowledge into experience (:5). In <a href='B:470 19:26'>Mat 19:26</a> the Lord explains the irrelevance of riches and human power to salvation and entering the Kingdom, saying that "with God all things are possible"- without money. This is almost quoting <a href='B:220 42:2'>Job 42:2</a>, where Job comes to the conclusion that all human strength is meaningless: "I know that You can do everything". It may be that Jesus is even implying that through the tribulation of his life he had come to the same conclusion as Job.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I have pointed out that Job all through rejects the ideas promoted by the friends, the view of traditional wisdom (especially emphasized by Bildad, <a href='B:220 8:8-10'>Job 8:8-10</a>), that various supernatural ‘Satan’ monsters and figures were responsible for his experiences. Job began by saying that we receive both good and evil from God’s hand (<a href='B:220 2:10'>Job 2:10</a> cp. <a href='B:290 45:5-7'>Isa 45:5-7</a>). And he ends saying the same – that the Lord brought the trouble upon him (<a href='B:220 42:11'>Job 42:11</a>). He repeatedly sees God as the source of all his affliction. Hence God can say that Job has spoken about Him that which is right (<a href='B:220 42:8'>Job 42:8</a>). But Job came to realize the massive practical extent of what he had previously known in theory, what he had “by the hearing of the ear”. Now his eye saw / perceived that truly no plan of God can be thwarted, by any of the various ‘Satan’ monsters imagined by men (<a href='B:220 42:2'>Job 42:2</a>). We too may say that we believe in the omnipotence of God; but such a belief requires us to throw out all beliefs in supernatural Satan figures. And that’s not a merely intellectual exercise; to see the tragedies and cruelties of our lives as being ultimately from God and under His control is something which shakes us to the core. See on <a href='B:220 41:1'>Job 41:1</a>.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job is here quoting from God's accusation against him in <a href='B:220 38:2'>Job 38:2</a> LXX (see note there), and accepting it as true. His many words had darkened or hid the word / counsel of God.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Therefore I have uttered that which I did not understand-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job here directly engages with God's words in <a href='B:220 38:18'>Job 38:18</a>, using the same words as when God asked him if he could 'utter' his 'understanding' of the breadth of the earth. Those amongst the exiles who repented would be able to 'utter the understanding' once they perceived God's grace (s:w. <a href='B:290 40:21'>Isa 40:21</a>; <a href='B:300 9:12'>Jer 9:12</a>). Job had initially been sure that he could "understand" what God was doing (<a href='B:220 6:30'>Job 6:30</a>), but progressively came to realize that he could not "understand" God's ways (<a href='B:220 9:11'>Job 9:11</a>; <a href='B:220 23:8'>Job 23:8</a>). Now he realizes that even that confession that he didn't "understand" was inadequate, for if he really meant it, he would have not spoken as he had. It was through the work of the suffering servant that God's people would come to understand that which they had not understood (<a href='B:290 52:15'>Isa 52:15</a> s:w:). For in the death and work of the Lord Jesus there was a like theophany going on to that which Job was experiencing, and our response to it should be as his.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Things too wonderful for me, which I didn’t know-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job had earlier admitted that God's ways were too wonderful for him (s:w. <a href='B:220 9:10'>Job 9:10</a>), but now that theoretical knowledge of his own humanity was felt in reality (:5).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> You said, ‘Listen, now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you will answer Me’-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> In his brief speech, Job engages directly with God's words, here in Hob 38:3; 40:7. His repentance and restoration were a direct result of his careful response to God's word, and this too was to be the path of Israel, if they would share in his restoration. God twice told Job that He was going to demand of him, and receive an answer (<a href='B:220 38:3'>Job 38:3</a>; <a href='B:220 40:7'>Job 40:7</a>). I suggest that God puts the words of repentance to Job, and Job then meekly repeats them. The same was intended to be true of the exiles' repentance (<a href='B:350 14:2'>Hos 14:2</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>There appears to be a purposeful ambiguity in the text. GNB: "You told me to listen while you spoke and to try to answer your questions"; whereas LXX "But hear me, O Lord, that I also may speak: and I will ask thee, and do thou teach me". The LXX seems more likely, as the other readings then have little logical flow of connection with the next verse.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This must be connected with <a href='B:220 19:27'>Job 19:27</a>, where Job reveals that his perception of the Kingdom is that then he would see God with his own eye. But by now he has come to the realization that what the depth of Divine understanding which he thought would only be possible in the Kingdom, was in fact possible here and now. This same progressive, awesome realization that so much is possible here and now is something which both individually and collectively we must go through. He had thought this would only be at the resurrection (19:26), seeing a full relationship with God was, he felt, impossible in this life (28:12,20); but he came to see that even in this life, with the joy of a good conscience, the principle is even now realizable. He exalted that now, his eye saw God. It wasn’t all abstractly reserved for the Kingdom.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Job finally recognized that he had only heard of God "by the hearing of the ear". There had been no real spiritual vision of God, no real personal understanding- just hearing in the ear. Note how the Queen of Sheba alludes to Job’s words- she had heard in the ear, but her spirit failed when she saw with her eyes. In the theological context in which Job was, the idea of seeing God for oneself was a huge paradigm jump. Centuries later, righteous Isaiah was sure he would die because he thought he had seen Yahweh (<a href='B:290 6:5'>Isa 6:5</a>). Job reached the same spiritual peak of ambition and closeness to the Almighty which Moses did when he asked to be shown God's glory, with the apparent implication that he wanted to see Yahweh's face (<a href='B:20 33:18'>Exo 33:18</a>; <a href='B:20 33:20'>Exo 33:20</a>). This peak of ambition which characterized Job's maturity was partly due to the way in which God recounted His greatness before Job (e:g. ch. 38). And yet (as the above chart makes clear) an appreciation of the physical greatness of God was something which had consistently featured in Job's words. Yet he had to be taught that what he thought he knew and appreciated so well, in fact he didn't.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Abhor" is the word commonly used for spiritual rejection or condemnation. Job condemned himself; he recognized he as a sinful man of himself should be condemned. Perhaps God's imputed righteousness, whereby He counted Job as "perfect", had led Job over time to forget his own humanity and sin. And we who are justified in Christ can take a warning from this. Job had recognized that his flesh was 'abhorrent' (s:w. <a href='B:220 7:5'>Job 7:5</a>); but he had to stop making that an excuse for not perceiving that he himself was personally sinful. Whatever we view we take of our own nature, we must ever remember this.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The epilogue and prologue to Job are evidently related. Job begins sitting in dust and ashes and ends repenting in dust and ashes (<a href='B:220 2:8'>Job 2:8</a>; <a href='B:220 42:6'>Job 42:6</a>). The silence of the friends at the opening of the book is matched by the silence after God has finally spoken (<a href='B:220 40:4'>Job 40:4</a>). Job intercedes for his children (<a href='B:220 1:5'>Job 1:5</a>) and ends up interceding for his friends. Job begins with the description of being the Lord’s servant; and the book concludes on the same note (<a href='B:220 42:7-8'>Job 42:7-8</a>). The question of course is: ‘So what’s the equivalent of the ‘Satan’ figure in the epilogue?’. The omission is intended and obvious. Ultimately the answer is the essence of the whole book: the ‘Satan’, the adversary, is none other than God Himself, in His love.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>LXX "I have counted myself vile, and have fainted: and I esteem myself dust and ashes". This sounds as if Job now accepts in reality the truth of the mortality and frailty of man, whereas previously (and he has had much to say about it in his speeches) he was only mouthing the theory of it.</p>&nbsp;<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>“Wherefore I loathe my words and repent” (<a href='B:220 42:6'>Job 42:6</a> RVmg:). Job fell into the trap of thinking that his terrible situation somehow allowed him to speak whatever words came into his head. Job felt he hadn’t been ‘fed’ and so he was entitled to “bray” and “low” over his misfortune (<a href='B:220 6:5'>Job 6:5</a>). Because of the weight of his sufferings, he thereby justified the fact that "Therefore have my words been rash (<a href='B:220 6:3'>Job 6:3</a>). Likewise “Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit” (<a href='B:220 7:11'>Job 7:11</a>). “I will give free course to my complaint. I will speak in the bitterness of my soul” (<a href='B:220 10:1'>Job 10:1</a> RV). Zophar criticizes Job being “full of talk” and speaking “the multitude of words”, “for thou sayest, my doctrine is pure” (<a href='B:220 11:1-4'>Job 11:1-4</a>)- as if Job felt that because he held true doctrine he was justified in pouring out words as he did. “Why should I not be impatient?” (<a href='B:220 21:4'>Job 21:4</a> RV). “Today is my complaint bitter. My stroke is heavier than my groaning” (<a href='B:220 23:2'>Job 23:2</a>)- i:e. his complaining was due to his sufferings. “If I hold my peace, I shall give up the spirit” (<a href='B:220 13:19'>Job 13:19</a> RVmg:). Job felt that the situation he was in forced him to use the words he did, and certainly justified it [we may well have used this reasoning ourselves when justifying the use of bad language]. But in the end, Elihu on God’s behalf rebuked him for his wrong words. And Job himself recognized: “I am vile. I will lay mine hand upon my mouth” in regret of his words (<a href='B:220 40:4'>Job 40:4</a>). “Wherefore I loathe my words and repent” (<a href='B:220 42:6'>Job 42:6</a> RVmg:). He realized his mistake: he had thought that the situation justified his words. Now he hung his head and admitted that there was no justification for speaking in the way he had. Especially in the matter of the tongue, we can so easily justify ourselves; ‘I only said / did it [or didn’t do it] because</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>’. And it is all so child-like. Once we leave off all attempts at self-justification, we will face up to our sins.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> It was so, that after Yahweh had spoken these words to Job, Yahweh said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against you, and against your two friends-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job feels God's wrath kindled against him (<a href='B:220 19:11'>Job 19:11</a>). The innocent Job&nbsp; experienced the judgments of God's people, against whom God's wrath was kindled (<a href='B:50 11:17'>Deu 11:17</a>; <a href='B:120 23:26'>2Ki 23:26</a>). Significantly, we find Elihu's wrath kindled against both Job and the friends (<a href='B:220 32:2-3'>Job 32:2-3</a>), but the wrath of God was kindled only against the friends (<a href='B:220 42:7'>Job 42:7</a>). Elihu is therefore not fully reflecting God's position about Job. I have repeatedly demonstrated that the innocent Job was suffering the judgment for the sins of God's people. In the end, this came to full term in the salvation of the friends on account of Job's intercession. God's wrath was not personally against Job, it was against the friends. But Job suffered God's wrath against him, because he was to be the saviour of the friends by offering sacrifice for them and praying for them. This looks forward to the work of the Lord Jesus, the suffering servant based upon Job; experiencing the judgment for our sins, and through the representative nature of His sacrifice, being able to save us. For other examples, see on <a href='B:220 20:15-16'>Job 20:15-16</a>; <a href='B:220 24:9'>Job 24:9</a>.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For you have not spoken of Me the thing that is right, as My servant Job has-</p><h4> LXX "You have sinned". There is reason to think that Eliphaz, the leader of the friends, may have been the specific individual referred to as 'satan' in the prologue. God singles him out for especial condemnation at the end. After one of Eliphaz's speeches, Job responds with what appears to be a comment upon him, rather than God: "He hath made me weary: thou hast made desolate all my company. And thou hast filled me with wrinkles::. he teareth me in his wrath, who hateth me (surely Job speaks here about Eliphaz, not God): he gnasheth upon me::. mine enemy (satan) sharpeneth his eyes upon me. They (the astonished friends?) have gaped upon me with their mouth, they have smitten me::. they have gathered themselves together (as the friends did to Job) against me" (<a href='B:220 16:9-11'>Job 16:9-11</a>). Eliphaz was a Temanite, from where Job's afflicters came (<a href='B:220 6:19'>Job 6:19</a>). See on <a href='B:220 1:6'>Job 1:6</a>.</h4><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Eliphaz in <a href='B:220 22:3'>Job 22:3</a> was propelled by his obsession against Job to say things about God which are wildly untrue, and is specifically rebuked above the other friends for doing this at the end (<a href='B:220 42:7'>Job 42:7</a>). I would surmise that his words of <a href='B:220 22:3'>Job 22:3</a> are specifically in view: "Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that you are righteous? Or does it benefit Him, that you make your ways perfect?". For this is a complete denial of all that God reveals Himself to be. Job rightly understood that God as human creator has a tender desire to the work of His hands (see on <a href='B:220 14:15'>Job 14:15</a>). But Eliphaz speaks as if God has no interest nor feeling towards those who are righteous, so far above caring is He. And this could not be a more serious misrepresentation of the God who is thrilled by every move a man makes towards Him:&nbsp;&nbsp;Job appeals for ‘witnesses’ (<a href='B:220 9:33-35'>Job 9:33-35</a>; <a href='B:220 16:18-22'>Job 16:18-22</a>; <a href='B:220 19:20-27'>Job 19:20-27</a>), an advocate in Heaven (<a href='B:220 9:33'>Job 9:33</a>), denies his guilt and demands a legal list of his sins (<a href='B:220 13:19'>Job 13:19</a>), he wishes for God to come to trial (<a href='B:220 9:3'>Job 9:3</a>), and thus Job is described as a man who has taken out a ‘case’ with God (<a href='B:220 23:4'>Job 23:4</a>; <a href='B:220 40:2'>Job 40:2</a>). Job 29-31 is effectively Job’s declaration of legal innocence and an appeal to God to hear his case more sympathetically (<a href='B:220 31:35'>Job 31:35</a>). And of course God pronounces a final legal verdict at the very end (<a href='B:220 42:7'>Job 42:7</a>), in response to Job’s earlier plea: “Sleeplessly I wait for His reply” (<a href='B:220 16:22'>Job 16:22</a>). It’s as if the whole experience of Job was [at least partly] in order to test out the Canaanite theories of ‘Satan’, suffering and evil in the court of Heaven; and also the various theories which arose to explain Judah's captivity in Babylon. The friends represent the traditional views of evil, and often make reference to the myths of their day about ‘Satan’ figures. They speak as if they are the final court – Eliphaz speaks of how the judges and elders of their day, the “holy ones”, had concluded Job was guilty, and that they, the friends, were right: “To which of the holy ones will you appeal [legal language]?::. we have [legally] examined this, and it [Job’s guilt] is true” (<a href='B:220 5:1'>Job 5:1</a>; <a href='B:220 5:27'>Job 5:27</a>). This is of great comfort to those who feel misjudged by man – above them in Heaven the ultimate Heavenly court is considering our case, and that is all that matters.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Although Job did not speak wrongly about God (42:7;2:10) and kept patiently speaking the word of God despite the mockery it brought from the friends (<a href='B:660 5:10-11'>Jas 5:10-11</a>), this does not mean that Job or all that he said was blameless. The friends are not reprimanded for speaking wrongly about Job, but about God. Thus there was probably a fair degree of truth in their accusations concerning Job. Elihu also severely rebukes him, and unlike the three friends he is not rebuked for anything in the final analysis by God in Job 42; not to mention the accusation of 'darkening counsel without knowledge' (38:2) by the Lord Himself, backed up by four chapters of heavy reprimand of Job's reliance on human strength and wisdom. This led to Job retracting much of what he had said: "I am vile; what shall I answer Thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth::. I will not answer::. I will proceed no further::. I uttered that I understood not::. wherefore I abhor myself and repent" (<a href='B:220 40:4-5'>Job 40:4-5</a>; <a href='B:220 42:3-6'>Job 42:3-6</a>). This clearly establishes that much of Job's reasoning was faulty, although what he spoke before God was correct. Job was a prophet (<a href='B:220 29:4'>Job 29:4</a> cp. <a href='B:220 15:8'>Job 15:8</a>; <a href='B:220 23:12'>Job 23:12</a>; <a href='B:240 3:32'>Pro 3:32</a>; <a href='B:370 3:7'>Amo 3:7</a>; the secret of God being with him made Job a prophet) and it is in his role as such that he is commended in <a href='B:660 5:10-11'>Jas 5:10-11</a> - i:e. for the words concerning God which he spoke. The words for which God and Elihu rebuked him were therefore about other things. Elihu accused him of speaking "without knowledge" (<a href='B:220 34:35'>Job 34:35</a>), which Job admitted to doing (42:3).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The problem of reconciling the rebuke of Job's words with the statement that he has spoken what is right about God as opposed to the friends is the same as the frequent pronouncement that some kings of Judah walked blamelessly before God exactly as David did, when there is clear evidence in the record that this was not so. This may be because God imputes righteousness to a believer's whole life if his final acts are acceptable (cp. <a href='B:330 18:27-28'>Eze 18:27-28</a>). "Ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath" may refer to the response of the friends and Job to the rebukes of Elihu and&nbsp; the manifestation of God's power in the thunderstorm which must have been witnessed by the friends as well as by Job. Maybe they made some unrecorded response about God which was not right, whereas Job's supreme recognition of God's righteousness and humbling of himself was speaking that which was right about God. It has to be admitted that it is hard to understand all that Job says in the book about God as being "right", and he is specifically rebuked by God for his words.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Consider how Job shook his fist at God through many of his speeches- so much so that Elihu, on God’s behalf, had to rebuke him at the end. Finally, Yahweh asks Job to “declare thou unto me” (<a href='B:220 40:7'>Job 40:7</a>; <a href='B:220 42:4'>Job 42:4</a>): to make a declaration. And Job does, in a matchless humility:&nbsp; “</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>therefore have I uttered that I understood not</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes”. And Yahweh immediately comments to the unrepentant friends: “Ye have not spoken of [‘unto’] me the thing that is right [Heb. ‘prepared’], as my servant Job hath” (42:7). Evidently Job hadn’t spoken “right” earlier; but it’s as if God seizes upon this one recognition of failure and is so pleased with it. He was looking for repentance in Job, and triumphantly seizes upon it once it is stuttered out by him. And so with our preaching of the Gospel and in our seeking to win back brethren who go astray [and I do hope we all make some personal effort to do this</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>]: seek for response.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As an example of how Job had indeed spoken wrongly about God, consider <a href='B:220 19:6'>Job 19:6</a>: "know now that God has subverted me". "Subverted" translates a Hebrew word which clearly means to be perverse or wicked with another person. Elihu sternly rebukes Job for this statement, saying that God will not "pervert judgment" (<a href='B:220 34:12'>Job 34:12</a>). Again we marvel at the grace of how God now says that Job has spoken what was right about Him (<a href='B:220 42:7'>Job 42:7</a>). Whilst that statement may refer simply to Job's expression of total repentance, we would still expect it to be qualified by some clause to the effect that "although earlier Job accused me of many awful things". There is no such clause in <a href='B:220 42:7'>Job 42:7</a>. The absence of it, bearing in mind Job's wrong statements about God which Elihu has reminded us of, is surely noticeable and intended to be noticed. We are left marvelling at the extent of grace and imputed righteousness, through faith by grace.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The words of God and Elihu brought Job to a shuddering spiritual climax. From his heart he cried: "I am vile::. I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes::. I am melted" (42:6 LXX). It was concerning this matchless confession that God could say that Job had "spoken of me the thing which is right(eousness)". God swept over the times when Job shook his fist at God, imputing righteousness to him on behalf of this confession. Thus the Spirit later speaks of the long-enduring patience of Job (<a href='B:660 5:11'>Jas 5:11</a>); God was able to look on his good side rather than the bad side, due to Job's confession of that bad side. To confess our sinfulness properly is to declare, by implication, righteous things about God.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Now therefore, take to yourselves seven bulls and seven rams-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Numbers and offerings understood to be necessary when approaching God (<a href='B:40 23:1'>Num 23:1</a>; <a href='B:40 23:29'>Num 23:29</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>And go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept him, that I not deal with you according to your folly-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> LXX "And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will only accept him: for but his sake, I would have destroyed you, for ye have not spoken the truth against my servant Job". Job's earlier appeals to the friends to hear and listen may not be simply asking them to hear his words; they may be an appeal to them to hear and repent (<a href='B:220 13:6'>Job 13:6</a>). This desire for their repentance and understanding builds up within Job as the speeches progress. And again, this is preparing him for the Lord's final request to him- to pray for the friends and bring about their salvation. We note that the intercession of a third party alone cannot save; the friends had to offer "for yourselves" an offering. And yet in the final equation, <a href='B:220 42:8'>Job 42:8</a> implies that the forgiveness of Job’s friends was only because he prayed for them. What stronger motivation could we have to pray earnestly for each other? I have pointed out several times that Job suffered the judgment for sins which he had not committed, but the friends (and later Israel) had done. The endurance of suffering is always helped by appreciating that there is an element to it which is for the benefit and salvation of others. Hence Paul reasons in 2 Corinthians 1 that whatever we suffer is so that we may minister salvation and comfort to others; perhaps he had Job in mind, as a pattern for us all.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For you have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as My servant Job has-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job had not always spoken right of God; for He does not mock at the "sudden" suffering of His people, such as Job experienced in the sudden loss of all he had, as Job had wrongly claimed in <a href='B:220 9:23'>Job 9:23</a>. So we marvel the more at God's final statement that Job had spoken rightly about Him. This Divine comment may indeed simply be upon Job's statement of repentance. But all the same, we would expect God to clarify that was what He intended, and to offer some note that Job had indeed falsely accused Him. But God doesn't. He doesn't need to. He has completely justified Job by faith, clothing him with imputed righteousness. And His demonstration of His ways has in any case made the required point, and Job recognized that. See on :7.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did what Yahweh commanded them, and Yahweh accepted Job-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> LXX "And he pardoned their sin for the sake of Job". We have another example of sin being forgiven for the sake of third parties in <a href='B:480 2:5'>Mar 2:5</a>; and there is huge implication in this for our own prayers and concern for others. Literally, "Yahweh accepted the face of Job", as in :8. In <a href='B:220 22:26'>Job 22:26</a> the friends had insisted that Job could not lift up his face to God. Perhaps the Lord had this in view when He commended the man who like Job would not lift up his face to God (<a href='B:490 18:13'>Luk 18:13</a>). But now the friends are only saved because Job was allowed to lift up his face to God for them. This was all a powerful way of teaching the friends that they were being saved by absolute grace. The man Job, whose face they were sure God would not accept, saved them by lifting up his face to God. It was the exiles whose faces God would not accept (s:w. <a href='B:460 1:8-9'>Mal 1:8-9</a>). Job was treated like them although he was not like them; he was bearing the punishment of their sins in order to save them, just as he did for the friends, whose faces were likewise unacceptable to God.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The conversion of Job is a poignant lesson in interceding for others motivated by our own forgiveness; he prays for his friends, he mediates for them, after gratefully realizing that his own search for mediation with God in order to obtain forgiveness had somehow been answered, by grace (<a href='B:220 42:6'>Job 42:6</a>; <a href='B:220 42:8'>Job 42:8</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>"Accepted" is literally 'accepted the face' of Job. The friends had mocked that if he confessed his sins, God would accept his face (<a href='B:220 11:15'>Job 11:15</a>; <a href='B:220 22:26'>Job 22:26</a>). There was complete appropriacy that finally this came true, to their salvation. We also see here God's disagreement with Elihu, who had argued that God didn't accept the faces of any man (<a href='B:220 34:19'>Job 34:19</a>). God was likewise prepared to accept the faces of the exiles, but their behaviour precluded this (s:w. <a href='B:460 1:8-9'>Mal 1:8-9</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Yahweh turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The language of Job’s captivity being ‘turned’ is the very term used about the restoration of Judah from Babylon (<a href='B:300 29:14'>Jer 29:14</a>; <a href='B:230 126:4'>Psa 126:4</a>). The idiom of turning the captivity is clearly used to connect with the exiles returning from captivity when they repented. That was the intention, anyway. And they were to pray for those who had abused and misunderstood them, and they too could be forgiven.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Perhaps the Lord alludes to Job favourably at this point; for He taught that instead of doing evil to our enemies, "I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for them that persecute you" (<a href='B:470 5:44'>Mat 5:44</a> = <a href='B:220 31:30'>Job 31:30</a>). And this is what Job did- his prayer for the friends, who apparently were his actual persecutors, bringing many of the trials upon him, was finally answered.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'><a href='B:660 5:11'>Jas 5:11</a> comments: "Behold, we call them blessed that endured. You have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the result that the Lord intended, how the Lord is full of pity and is merciful". Job was a prophet (<a href='B:220 29:4'>Job 29:4</a>), one of those referred to in the preceding <a href='B:660 5:10'>Jas 5:10</a>: "Brothers, take for an example the suffering and patience of the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord". "Full of pity" is very intense in Greek- elsewhere it is translated "bowels", "inward affection". Thus the position of Job touched the Lord's heart in a way few other human experiences are said to in the word. The tremendous pity which God showed for Job would also be shown to the friends if they fully fellowshipped his example by their patient endurance. Perhaps the "pity" in view is God's pity to the friends rather than Job. <a href='B:660 5:13'>Jas 5:13</a> "Is any among you suffering? Let him pray" uses &nbsp;the same word translated "affliction" in <a href='B:660 5:10'>Jas 5:10</a> concerning Job's hardships. The idea is that we should channel all our feelings and words through prayer, rather than indulge in the circular talking of Job and the friends which was the exact opposite of "Yes, yes::. no, no". &nbsp; <a href='B:660 5:16'>Jas 5:16</a> continues the Job allusions:&nbsp;"Therefore, confess your sins to each other, and pray for each other, so that you may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man avails much in its working". Job confessed his sins and prayed for his friends, and they were forgiven.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh gave Job twice as much as he had before-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This is the historical basis for the restoration prophecy of <a href='B:290 61:7'>Isa 61:7</a> "Instead of your shame you shall have double". The idea may simply be that they inherit double what they ought to, such is God's grace to them and desire to load them with double blessing (<a href='B:290 40:2'>Isa 40:2</a>; <a href='B:450 9:12'>Zec 9:12</a>), just as He gave double to Job as representative of restored Israel (<a href='B:220 42:10'>Job 42:10</a>). The revival of Job's fortunes is surely behind the Lord's promise to each of us in <a href='B:490 18:10'>Luk 18:10</a>, that whoever loses house, brothers, wife or children shall receive them many times over in this life, and salvation in the age to come. This means that the Lord understood Job's path as that of every man.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Then came there to him all his brothers, and all his sisters, and all those who had been of his acquaintance before, and ate bread with him in his house. They comforted him, and consoled him concerning all the evil that Yahweh had brought on him. Each one also gave him a piece of money, and each one a ring of gold-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The apparently hopeless situation of being rejected by all his family in <a href='B:220 19:13-16'>Job 19:13-16</a> was reversed at the end when all his relatives again came to him (<a href='B:220 42:11'>Job 42:11</a>). The way they give him a piece of money and an earing appears to be some kind of gratitude for his salvation of them. They thus recognized their guilt and expressed deep gratitude that although they had rejected him, his sufferings and their rejection of him had led to their salvation. For we can deduce from the gift of a piece of money that they feel they have sinned, and he has saved them. So again, his restoration was the restoration of others, the friends and his family who had rejected him. He had born the sufferings for their sins, and thus becomes a type of the Lord Jesus, who suffered the judgments for sin in order to save those who had rejected and abused him:&nbsp;&nbsp;LXX "and each one gave him a lamb, and four drachms' weight of gold, even of unstamped gold". The gift of a lamb would perhaps hint at their need for forgiveness; and they gave him the lamb to offer it for them as the family priest. Again, the sufferings of Job, like those of the suffering servant, were finally towards the salvation of others.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> So Yahweh blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The friends had all spoken of the restoration of Job's prosperity at this "latter end", if he accepted their false accusations of him (<a href='B:220 5:18'>Job 5:18</a>; <a href='B:220 5:26'>Job 5:26</a>; <a href='B:220 8:20-21'>Job 8:20-21</a>; <a href='B:220 11:13-19'>Job 11:13-19</a>). That restoration now came about, but not on their terms. But rather, according to God's pure grace. It is this "latter end" which may be in view when James speaks of God's tender pity at "the end of the Lord" (<a href='B:660 5:11'>Jas 5:11</a>). The end of the Lord was the "end of Job". God and His child were intimately bound up in their destinies. That became evident in the end of Job, and it was a parade example to God's child Israel.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The friends had insisted that Job had lost his blessings because of disobedience, but his "latter end" (s:w:) would "increase" if he repented. Hence <a href='B:220 8:7'>Job 8:7</a> "Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would greatly increase". Job's "latter end" did increase (s:w. <a href='B:220 42:12'>Job 42:12</a>) and Bildad lived to see it, and thereby realized how wrong his judgment had been. Bildad's words may be a recognition of how Job arose to wealth from small beginnings, implying that his "latter end" would only really increase if he were repentant and Godly (:5,6). The fact Job's latter end did increase was therefore evidence that God accepted him as Godly. The same word is used of the "latter end" of Israel, which will likewise be "increased" and blessed; and could have been so for the exiles had they followed the path of Job (<a href='B:290 41:22'>Isa 41:22</a>; <a href='B:290 46:10'>Isa 46:10</a>; <a href='B:300 29:11'>Jer 29:11</a>; <a href='B:300 31:17'>Jer 31:17</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand female donkeys-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This may be intended to demonstrate that his wealth was exactly double what he had before. For someone living on the edge of the wilderness, from where whirlwinds could blow in and Bedouins invade, these were huge numbers. It would have to follow that he had a huge retinue of servants able to care for them all.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> He had also seven sons and three daughters-</p><h4> The connection is with <a href='B:290 49:20'>Isa 49:20</a> "The children of your bereavement shall yet say in your ears", or LXX "For thy sons whom thou hast lost shall say in thine ears". The idea of receiving back children who had been once slain is clearly alluded to in Job's experience, who is set up as representative of the Jews in exile. The language of the LXX suggests their resurrection of lost children. The idea is obviously that Job's situation was restored. But the loss of children is not capable of restoration in any meaningful sense. One wonders therefore if his slain children were resurrected. All his sufferings were the innocent suffering the judgment for others' sins. And those others were his friends and family He was not just suffering for himself. He, the innocent, had born their sins in his own body, just as the Lord did. Earlier he had offered sacrifice for his children, but this was not enough; a representative sufferer was needed. If indeed his experience of representative suffering led to the resurrection and salvation of his sinful children, we would have an even more powerful and detailed prefigurement of the work of the Lord Jesus, the ultimate suffering servant. See on <a href='B:220 21:12'>Job 21:12</a>.</h4>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> He called the name of the first, Jemimah-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Day of Yah", looking forward to how Job's restoration was a foretaste of the coming day of Yahweh at the restoration of Israel.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>And the name of the second, Keziah-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Possibly 'scraped or peeled by Yah', perhaps referring to the scraping off of leprosy (s:w. <a href='B:30 14:41'>Lev 14:41</a>), as Job had scraped his skin.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>And the name of the third, Keren Happuch-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Keren" is 'horn' or 'hill', recalling how Job's horn had been in the dust (s:w. <a href='B:220 16:15'>Job 16:15</a>), perhaps referring to his own reproductive organ, and thereby recalling his ultimate degradation (representing Israel's, <a href='B:310 2:3'>Lam 2:3</a>) now so gloriously restored. "Happuch" is 'colours', looking ahead to the final restoration of Israel decked with "fair colours" (s:w. <a href='B:290 54:11'>Isa 54:11</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> In all the land were no women found so beautiful as the daughters of Job-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Perhaps they looked ahead to the revival of the daughters of Zion, which was to become the most beautiful place in the land (<a href='B:230 48:2'>Psa 48:2</a> s:w:).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Job gave his daughters an equal inheritance with his sons- something which would have been unusual in those times. Through all his sufferings, Job came to see the value and meaning of persons before God, be they male or female; he overcame the background culture, the thinking of his surrounding society, and openly showed to all the immense value he had come to place upon each and every human being, regardless of their gender:&nbsp;</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, to four generations-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Seeing his sons may be another hint they were resurrected. Seeing Job lived after the time of Abraham, this was a great lifespan for the times.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'> So Job died, being old and full of days- The very language used of the death of the patriarchs, as if to show that although Job was not directly their seed, he was in spirit.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I have suggested that the sufferings of Job are framed in language which connects with the sufferings of Hezekiah and also Israel, whom he epitomized, at the time of the Assyrian invasion. Hezekiah and Israel are both types of Christ (note how so many of the curses on Israel for their disobedience came upon Christ on the cross). The suffering servant of Isaiah often concerns all three of them. Thus Job's sufferings point forward, via Hezekiah and Israel, to Christ. His final vindication when he prays for his friends, lives many years, and sees his sons (<a href='B:220 42:8'>Job 42:8</a>; <a href='B:220 42:16'>Job 42:16</a>) thus connects with the prophecy of Christ making "intercession for the transgressors" who persecuted him- i:e. the Jews- and seeing his seed, prolonging his days, after his crucifixion and resurrection (<a href='B:290 53:10'>Isa 53:10</a>; <a href='B:290 53:12'>Isa 53:12</a> - note how Isaiah 53 is a chronological account of the events of Christ's death, resurrection and ascension). The description of Job as the son of man and a worm uses identical language as that used about Christ on the cross in <a href='B:230 22:6'>Psa 22:6</a>. Thus the friends for whom Job prayed are equated with the Jews who persecuted Christ, for whom Christ made intercession both on the cross and after his ascension.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>LXX adds: "And then he died at a very great age. And Job died, an old man and full of days: and it is written that he will rise again with those whom the Lord raises up. This man is described in the Syriac book as living in the land of Ausis, on the borders of Idumea and Arabia: and his name before was Jobab; and having taken an Arabian wife, he begot a son whose name was Ennon. And he himself was the son of his father Zare, one of the sons of Esau, and of his mother Bosorrha, so that he was the fifth from Abraam. And these were the kings who reigned in Edom, which country he also ruled over: first, Balac, the son of Beor, and the name of his city was Dennaba: but after Balac, Jobab, who is called Job, and after him Asom, who was governor out of the country of Thaeman: and after him Adad, the son of Barad, who destroyed Madiam in the plain of Moab; and the name of his city was Gethaim. And his friends who came to him were Eliphaz, of the children of Esau, king of the Thaemanites, Baldad sovereign the Sauchaeans, Sophar king of the Minaeans".</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This Psalm can be understood as a general introduction to the Psalms, summing up the way of the Godly. We should note from this verse that the teaching is not that we should have nothing to do with sinners; but rather that we should not walk in their way nor share their judgments of situations. This is the art of being the light of the world- to be in the world, as the Lord Jesus was, to engage constantly with it, but to walk, stand and judge in God's way. It is the "way" of sinners which will perish (:6); our judgment is therefore according to our overall "way", rather than occasional actions of sin or righteousness. <a href='B:230 1:1'>Psa 1:1</a> seems to allude to Lot's progressive apostasy, speaking of the righteous man not walking, standing or sitting with the wicked- in other words, the righteous man will learn from Lot's mistakes.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Any serious reading of the Psalms raises repeated questions as to the original context of each Psalm. Some were written by David, but only parts of them seem to apply to his life; some verses clearly apply to other historical contexts, especially the situation of the exiles in Babylon and the restoration. A verse here and there has clear relevance to the Lord Jesus, but the surrounding verses don't. Some verses are quoted in the New Testament but the surrounding contexts don't appear to fit the context in which the verse is used. I suggest the resolution of all this is to understand that the Psalms were written largely by David for use in the future temple, or in the sanctuary as it existed at his time; but under Divine inspiration, they were rewritten and reapplied to various later historical contexts. This explains why some verses in a Psalm are very relevant to e:g. the restoration from Babylon, but other verses aren't; they remain only clearly appropriate to David. This also helps explain why the Septuagint (which is the preferred version for quotation in the New Testament) is in places very different from the Hebrew (Masoretic) text. The points of major difference are likely a result of this process of rewriting.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'><strong>The Inspired Re-Writing Of The Old Testament In Babylon</strong></p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Briefly, here are corroborative reasons for thinking that perhaps the whole existing canon of Old Testament Scripture was [under inspiration] edited, re-written and codified during the exile in Babylon:</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>- According to Jewish tradition, Ezra edited and produced the Pentateuch in its present form in Babylon (Carl Kraeling, The Synagogue (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1956) pp. 232-235 reproduces plates from the synagogue wall at Dura-Europas showing Ezra doing this in Babylon). This would account for the record of Jacob in exile being so verbally similar to the allusions made to it in the restoration-from-Babylon prophecies in Isaiah. There was certainly great scribal activity in Babylon- 2Ma_2:13 speaks of Nehemiah founding a library of the Jewish scriptures there. This gives another perspective on the way Nehemiah’s prayer in Nehemiah 1 is so full of references to Deuteronomy- if the latter had just been re-written and presented to the Jews in Babylon. The commands to build the tabernacle are repeated in Exodus, and there is the record of Israel's golden calf apostasy set in the middle of them. <a href='B:20 25:1'>Exo 25:1</a> to <a href='B:20 31:18'>Exo 31:18</a> give the tabernacle building commands, then there's the golden calf incident, and then the commands are repeated in Exodus 35-40. Surely this was edited in this manner to give encouragement to the exiles- the commands to rebuild the temple had been given in detail in Ezekiel 40-48, but the exiles failed- and yet, the implication runs, God was still willing to work again with His people in the building of His sanctuary despite their failure. There is good internal reason to think that the Pentateuch likewise was re-written in places to bring out the relevance of Israel's past to those in captivity. Consider the use of the word pus, 'scatter'. It was God's intention that mankind should scatter abroad in the earth and subdue it (<a href='B:10 1:28'>Gen 1:28</a>); but it required the judgment of the tower of Babel to actually make them 'scatter' (<a href='B:10 11:4'>Gen 11:4</a>). Thus even in judgment, God worked out His positive ultimate intentions with humanity. And this word pus is the same word used with reference to Judah's 'scattering' from the land into Babylonian captivity (<a href='B:330 11:17'>Eze 11:17</a>; <a href='B:330 20:34'>Eze 20:34</a>; <a href='B:330 20:41'>Eze 20:41</a>; <a href='B:330 28:25'>Eze 28:25</a>). The intention, surely, was to show the captives that they had been scattered as the people had at the judgment of Babel / Babylon, but even in this, God was working out His purpose with His people and giving them the opportunity to fulfill His original intentions for them.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>- The Talmud claims that the majority of the prophetic books were re-written and edited into their present form during the captivity, under the guidance of a group of priests called "The Great Assembly" (M. Simon and I:W. Slotski, eds, The Soncino Talmud: Babba Bathra 14b - 15a (London: The Soncino Press, 1935) Vol. 1 pp. 70,71). There are many verbal points of contact between Chronicles and the returned exiles.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>- Time and again we encounter the phrase "to this day" in the historical books of the Old Testament (e:g. "the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there to this day", <a href='B:120 16:6'>2Ki 16:6</a>)- and each time it appears the reference is to the time of the restoration, when presumably those books were edited and rewritten as relevant for the Jews, either those still in Babylon or those who had returned to the land. A good case can be made, for example, that the book of Judges was rewritten at that time in order to show that God's people don't need a King in order to be His people, but rather they can be ruled by Spirit-filled leaders (See W:J. Dumbrell, 'No King In Israel', Journal For The Study Of The Old Testament Vol. 25 (1983) pp. 23-33).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>- The way Deuteronomy refers to cities East of Jordan as being "on this side Jordan" (e:g. <a href='B:50 4:41'>Deu 4:41</a>; <a href='B:50 4:49'>Deu 4:49</a>) would suggest that the editor of the book was writing from a location East of Jordan- likely Babylon. The comment in <a href='B:60 15:63'>Jos 15:63</a> that "the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day" sounds very much as if it were written in the captivity, lamenting the way that the local tribes still lived in Zion. "The children of Judah" is very much a phrase used about the exiles. Thus books like Joshua were written up in the captivity in order to show Judah how they were repeating the sins of their forefathers, and appealing to them thereby to learn the lessons. It's even possible that the lament that "Geshur and Maacath dwell in the midst of Israel unto this day" (<a href='B:60 13:13'>Jos 13:13</a> RV) is a reference to "Geshem the Arabian" and Sanballat dwelling amongst Israel at the time of their return (<a href='B:160 2:19'>Neh 2:19</a> etc:).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>- It has been observed that the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings have certain similarities. For example, they all quote the Deuteronomy version of Israel's earlier history, leading to the suggestion that Deuteronomy was the first of the collection, a kind of introductory background history. The curses listed in Deuteronomy 28 are all especially relevant to the situation in Judah before the Babylonian invasion, and a number of the curses are alluded to in Lamentations as being descriptive of the situation after the final destruction of Jerusalem. Some of the curses can have little other application, e:g. <a href='B:50 28:41'>Deu 28:41</a> speaks of begetting children, "but they shall not be yours; for they shall go into captivity". Other relevant passages are <a href='B:50 28:36'>Deu 28:36</a> (a king taken captive), 49,50,52. These "former prophets" (Deuteronomy - 2 Kings) appear to have been edited during the exile as history which spoke to the concerns and needs of the exiled people of God (The similarities of style, language and indications of common editing are explained in detail in Martin Noth, The Deuteronomistic History (Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1981); there is a good summary in Terrence Fretheim, Deuteronomic History (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1989). See too M. Weinfeld, Deuteronomy And The Deuteronomic School (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1972)). This combined history speaks mainly of the southern Kingdom, which was the group who went to captivity in Babylon; and it explains why this captivity was justified, as well as giving many examples of where repentance could bring about a restoration (<a href='B:110 8:46-53'>1Ki 8:46-53</a> is specific). This history addresses the questions which concerned the captives- does God abandon His people for ever? Are Israel entirely to blame for what happened? Is there hope of restoration after receiving Divine judgment and breaching His covenant? Can God have a relationship with His people without a temple? To what extent will God always honour the promises to Abraham and David? Should other gods also be worshipped? Reading these books from this perspective reveals how incident after incident was especially selected by the inspired editors in Babylon in order to guide God's people there. Take the story of Naaman's Hebrew "maid". Naaman had been the enemy of Israel, and that little child [Heb:] was one of the children of those taken captive. But she witnessed to her captor; he turned to Yahweh; and his skin became like that of "a little child" (<a href='B:120 5:14'>2Ki 5:14</a>)- like her. The message was obvious. The children of the captivity were likewise to witness to their captors and bring them into covenant with Yahweh.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>- A comparison of Psalms 14, 53 illustrate this process of re-writing at Hezekiah's time. These Psalms are both "A Psalm of David", and are virtually identical apart from <a href='B:230 53:5'>Psa 53:5</a> adding: "There were they in great fear, where no fear was; For God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: Thou hast put them to shame, because God hath rejected them". This surely alludes to the Assyrian army encamped against Jerusalem (<a href='B:140 32:1'>2Ch 32:1</a>), put into fear by the Angels, and returning "with shame of face to his own land" (<a href='B:140 32:21'>2Ch 32:21</a>). Yet both Psalms conclude with a verse which connects with the exiles in Babylonian captivity: "Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Then shall Jacob rejoice, and Israel shall be glad". So it would appear that the initial Psalm was indeed written by David; the version of Psalms 14 which is now Psalms 53 was added to and adapted in Hezekiah's time (<a href='B:240 25:1'>Pro 25:1</a>), and both versions had a final verse added to them during the exile. A number of Psalms appear to have some verses relevant to the exile, and others relevant to earlier historical situations. It would seem that an inspired writer inserted the verses which spoke specifically to the exilic situation. Psalms 102 is an example. <a href='B:230 102:2-12'>Psa 102:2-12</a>; <a href='B:230 102:24-25'>Psa 102:24-25</a> a appear to be the original lament; and the other verses are relevant to the exile. Psalms 22 likewise appears to have had vv. 28-32 added with reference to the exiles; other examples in Psalms 9, 10; Psalms 59; Psalms 66; Psalms 68; <a href='B:230 69:34'>Psa 69:34</a>; Psalms 85; Psalms 107; Psalms 108, 118.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>- There are evident similarities between the vocabulary and style of Zechariah, Job and the prophets of the restoration. Thus both Job and Zechariah refer to the ideas of the court of Heaven, "the satan" etc. My suggestion is that Job was rewritten during the exile, hence the many points of contact between Job and Isaiah's prophecies about the restoration. When we read that Job has suffered less than his iniquities deserve (<a href='B:220 11:6'>Job 11:6</a>), this is the very term used to describe Israel's sufferings in Babylon (<a href='B:150 9:13'>Ezr 9:13</a>). Job, "the servant of the Lord", is being set up as Israel, just as that same term is used about Israel in Babylon throughout the latter part of Isaiah. Job's mockery by the Arabian friends perhaps parallels the Samaritan and Babylonian mockery of Judah; his loss of children is very much the tragedy of Judah at the hands of the Babylonians which Lamentations focuses upon. And Job's final revival and restoration after repentance would therefore speak of the blessed situation which Judah could have had at their return to the land. Job's response to the words of God and Elihu would then speak of Judah's intended repentance as a result of God's word spoken to them by prophets like Haggai and Zechariah. There are many connections between Job and the latter parts of Isaiah which speak about the restoration.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>but his delight is in Yahweh’s law-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David may have learnt this from Samuel's teaching that God doesn't delight in sacrifices but in obedience; and if God delights in obedience then our delight should be in the law / principles / commandments which are the basis of that obedience (s:w. <a href='B:90 15:22'>1Sa 15:22</a>). David's "delight" was in the things of the future Kingdom of God (s:w. <a href='B:100 23:5'>2Sa 23:5</a>); our "delight" in those things is reflected in our attitudes to God's word. And we shall be finally judged according to our 'delights', our dominant desires (s:w. <a href='B:250 3:17'>Ecc 3:17</a>; <a href='B:250 8:6'>Ecc 8:6</a>). The Lord Jesus was devoted to sharing Yahweh's "delight" (<a href='B:290 53:10'>Isa 53:10</a>). We shall be judged according to what are our dominant desires:&nbsp;</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>On His law he meditates day and night-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David makes several allusions to Joshua. He speaks of how the man who meditates in God’s word day and night will prosper in his ways; and he uses the very same Hebrew words as found in <a href='B:60 1:8'>Jos 1:8</a> in recounting God’s charge to Joshua. But David’s point is that the man who does these things will not “walk in the counsel of the ungodly”- he won't give in to peer pressure. The fact that Joshua was wrongly influenced by his peers in later life would indicate that he didn’t keep the charge given to him. David speaks of how he "meditates day and night" on God's law (<a href='B:230 1:2'>Psa 1:2</a>), and also of how he meditates upon "God" at night (<a href='B:230 63:6'>Psa 63:6</a>) and in the day (<a href='B:230 71:24'>Psa 71:24</a>). "The word was God", and still is, in the sense that our devotions to God are to be according to His word; for in practice, what we see of God is largely through His hand and statements in history which we find in His word.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also does not wither; whatever he does shall prosper-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Bringing forth fruit in season is the language of the blessings which could come upon Israel for obedience to the covenant (s:w. <a href='B:30 25:9'>Lev 25:9</a>; <a href='B:30 26:4'>Lev 26:4</a>; <a href='B:450 8:12'>Zec 8:12</a>). But even if they weren't as a nation, the essence of these blessings was to be realized in the lives of individuals who were. Likewise had Judah been obedient and responsive to God's word, leaves which don't wither would have appeared around the restored temple system (s:w. <a href='B:330 47:12'>Eze 47:12</a>). Their lack of spiritual fruit precluded those potential prophecies coming true. But these words are quoted in <a href='B:730 22:2'>Rev 22:2</a> concerning our holding out of life to the mortal population at the Lord's return. The conclusion? If we witness now we are living the Kingdom life now, and therefore we will be perpetuated in that time. The fact we teach others to do righteousness will therefore be a factor in our acceptance (<a href='B:470 5:19'>Mat 5:19</a>); although not the only one. There is a connection between us 'freely giving' the Gospel now (<a href='B:470 10:8'>Mat 10:8</a>), and being given 'freely given' salvation at the last day (<a href='B:520 8:32'>Rom 8:32</a>; <a href='B:730 21:6'>Rev 21:6</a>). The freeness of God’s gift to us should be reflected in a free spirited giving out of the Gospel to others.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The wicked are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This is the language of the future condemnation of the wicked, alluded to in Daniel's vision of the image being reduced to chaff and driven away. But the essence of judgment is now. They are now like that, and this will be revealed in the future day of judgment (:5).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>See on :4. The congregation of the righteous of today is connected to the crowd of justified ones at the day of future judgment; for they 'stand' in that they are made to stand, justified by grace. This is what Paul envisages in <a href='B:520 14:4'>Rom 14:4</a> in a judgment seat context: "Yes, he shall be made to stand up. For the Lord has power to make him stand".</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall perish- God 'knows' the way of all men. But the Hebrew sense of 'knowing' is not that of technical knowledge, but more of relationship. Our way of life in relationship with Him; whereas the wicked don't walk with that 'knowledge', and their way or path leads to eternal death.</p><h2></h2>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a vain thing?<strong>- </strong></p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The question "Why?" may be purely rhetorical, as if to say that their raging is in vain because they are fighting against God and His anointed. As noted on :2, this Psalm has multiple later applications; but the primary application may have been to David as the Lord's anointed (:2) feeling under threat of Gentile invasion, but calming himself with the realization that he as Yahweh's faithful anointed would be preserved. He had learnt that in his wilderness years, surrounded by Saul's forces; and as in our lives, the lessons are repeated in different contexts in our later years.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Consider how many different applications the NT gives to Psalms 2, 110. There is a tendency amongst some personality types to turn every disagreement over interpretation of Scripture into a right : wrong, truth : error scenario. Matters relating to basic doctrine are capable of being dealt with like thIsa. But to turn the interpretation of every Bible verse into a conflict area is a recipe for ecclesial disaster. So often the debate becomes personal, with a brother sure that he is right and the other wrong, and the other must be shown to be wrong. This leads inevitably to pride, and there is the possibility that the other party is degraded and feels abused by the other. We simply have to accept that much of Scripture is open to various levels of interpretation, which if placed side by side would appear to be contradictory. .</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The kings of the earth take a stand-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> In the sense of military confrontation (s:w. <a href='B:130 11:14'>1Ch 11:14</a>). The picture of Jerusalem surrounded by armies with the Christ within it has specific reference to the last days. But the exact chronology of latter day events is impossible to work out ahead of time, for the purpose of Bible prophecy is not to provide world history in advance. Rather, when these things come to pass, then we shall know. The same scene is found in Revelation when Gog and Magog surround the Lord Jesus in Jerusalem and are destroyed; I have argued in commentary on Revelation that this refers to events around the Lord's return and not later.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>And the rulers take counsel together, against Yahweh, and against His Anointed saying-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>See on :1. The Greek word “Christ” means ‘anointed’. This Psalm is quoted in the New Testament more than any other Scripture. It’s applied in various contexts- e:g. to the Roman and Jewish rulers trying to destroy Christ at His death (<a href='B:510 4:26'>Act 4:26</a>); to the resurrection of Christ (2:7 = <a href='B:510 13:33'>Act 13:33</a>; <a href='B:650 1:5'>Heb 1:5</a>); to the opposition to Christ’s people as they preached the Gospel (<a href='B:510 4:25'>Act 4:25</a>) and to the situation soon after His return, when the rebellious nations will seek to overthrow Christ’s rule (2:9 = <a href='B:730 2:27'>Rev 2:27</a>). What this shows is that Old Testament scripture can have multiple interpretations, in the same way as different people at different times can find the same Scripture speaking personally to them; and as we can find a single Bible passage amazingly relevant to us in different contexts and various times of our lives.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Let’s break their bonds apart, and cast their cords from us-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The primary application would be to peoples once under David's domination desiring to rebel and even attack Jerusalem.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He who sits in the heavens will laugh. The Lord will have them in derision-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>One application of this Psalm was to Hezekiah being surrounded by the Assyrians in Jerusalem. God's view was that the faithful daughter of Zion had laughed at and derided the Assyrians (<a href='B:290 37:22'>Isa 37:22</a>). But here we read that this was true of God. The faithful remnant, the daughter of Zion, were scared of the Assyrians at the time, and hardly seemed confident. But God imputed His confidence and attitudes, His Spirit, to that of His weak but faithful people.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Then He will speak to them in His anger, and terrify them in His wrath-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Connecting this with :12, this appears to be a conditional statement. God's anger could have been turned away had they reverenced His Son.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>If the idea were simply of 'seating' then an appropriate word would have been used. But the Hebrew used here for "set" is usually translated 'to pour', 'sacrifice' (s:w. <a href='B:230 16:4'>Psa 16:4</a>) or 'cover'. Clearly there is a suggestion of the sacrifice of God's Son on a hill near Zion. From this point, the speaker becomes His Son (:7).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I will tell of the decree-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The same phrase used of declaring the covenant (<a href='B:230 50:16'>Psa 50:16</a>). The new covenant was declared in the death (:6) and resurrection of the Son of God; and here we have Him as it were proclaiming that new covenant.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh said to me, You are My son. Today I have become your father-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This is given various applications in the New Testament, especially to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus (<a href='B:510 13:33'>Act 13:33</a> cp. <a href='B:520 1:4'>Rom 1:4</a>). This would be appropriate to the allusion to the Lord's death noted on :6. But the application to Hezekiah in Jerusalem continues; the same words are used for how Hezekiah felt that "this day" (s:w. "today"), the children are come to the birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth" (<a href='B:290 37:3'>Isa 37:3</a>, s:w. "become your father"). Yahweh was strong enough. The righteous remnant, the primary fulfilment of the "suffering servant" prophecies, could have been brought forth after the enemies surrounding Jerusalem were destroyed. But they were not, and instead of 'inheriting' the Gentiles (:8), Hezekiah didn't "ask of Me" for that, and rather made covenants with them involving accepting their gods. The great potential possible wasn't realized, and so the Psalm was reapplied to the things of the Lord Jesus.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>There is no recorded moment when God said these words to the Lord Jesus, although He surely did (<a href='B:650 1:5'>Heb 1:5</a>). Presumably we have here a unique insight into the words spoken by the Father to the Son on the resurrection morning; it is perhaps appropriate that they aren't recorded historically. The moment was too intimate.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Ask of Me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance, the uttermost ends of the earth for your possession-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>See on :7 for the potential reference to Hezekiah. God promised Abraham a very specific "inheritance::. possession" in Canaan (<a href='B:10 17:8'>Gen 17:8</a>; <a href='B:50 4:21'>Deu 4:21</a>; <a href='B:50 32:49'>Deu 32:49</a>). And yet this promise seems to be interpreted in later Scripture as referring to the world-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>wide Kingdom which will be established at the second coming (e:g. <a href='B:520 4:13'>Rom 4:13</a> speaks of how Abraham was promised that he would inherit the world; Psalms 72 and other familiar prophecies speak of a world-wide Messianic Kingdom, based on the promises to Abraham). One possible explanation is found in Psalms 2, where the Father seems to encourage the Son to ask of Him "the heathen [i:e:, not just the Jews] for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth [not just the land of promise] for thy possession" (<a href='B:230 2:8'>Psa 2:8</a>). Could it be that due to the Lord's spiritual ambition, the inheritance was extended from the Jewish people to all nations, and from literal Canaan to all the earth? This is not to say, of course, that fundamentally the promises to Abraham have been changed. No. The promise of eternal inheritance of Canaan still stands as the basis of the Gospel of the Kingdom (<a href='B:550 3:8'>Gal 3:8</a>), but that promise has been considerably extended, thanks to the Lord's spiritual ambition.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I suggested on :7 that we have here a prophecy of a conversation between the Father and Son at the resurrection. "Ask of me::. and I can give you anything you ask for" was the typical boast of ancient rulers, and we recall the experience of Esther and the daughter of Herodias. But in God's case it was true. He has been "given" the nations, but in the sense that they were to submit to His Son (:10). And this is the spirit in which we go forth and obey the great commission.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Could it be that due to the Lord's spiritual ambition, the inheritance was extended from the Jewish people to all nations, and from literal Canaan to all the earth? This is not to say, of course, that fundamentally the promises to Abraham have been changed. No. The promise of eternal inheritance of Canaan still stands as the basis of the Gospel of the Kingdom (<a href='B:550 3:8'>Gal 3:8</a>), but that promise has been considerably extended, thanks to the Lord's spiritual ambition.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>You shall break them with a rod of iron, you shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Quoted about the Lord Jesus and those in Him, in <a href='B:730 2:27'>Rev 2:27</a>. As He will rule the world with a rod of iron (<a href='B:230 2:9'>Psa 2:9</a>) and brake the nations to powder at His return (<a href='B:340 2:44'>Dan 2:44</a>), so will each of those in Him (<a href='B:730 2:27'>Rev 2:27</a>). And notice how <a href='B:230 2:1-2'>Psa 2:1-2</a>, a prophecy about opposition to Jesus personally, is appropriated to those who preach Him, because they are in Him (<a href='B:510 4:25-26'>Act 4:25-26</a>). The breaking as a potter's vessel recalls the imagery of Jeremiah, where this is only done because the clay has not responded as required. The nations this is done to have therefore had a chance to respond to the Divine hand, and have chosen not to. In the last days, this would imply that the Gospel must first go to all nations who are then going to be judged for refusing to respond to it. And the Lord specifically stated this (<a href='B:480 13:10'>Mar 13:10</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Now therefore be wise, you kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The judgment upon the nations of :9 doesn't have to happen; if they are wise and are "instructed". True wisdom is to repent; knowledge in the Hebraic sense refers to relationship with God, rather than technical knowledge of information. In fact the first sin was to partake of the fruit which would apparently make men "wise" (<a href='B:10 3:6'>Gen 3:6</a>). It was a short cut to 'wisdom' in the sense of relationship. And too often the same mistake is made today, whereby knowledge is confused with the wisdom and instruction of repentant relationship with God.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Serve Yahweh with respect and rejoice with trembling-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>That trembling, joy and respect is what arises from realizing that they should have been condemned (:9), but the outcome had been changed because they had the wisdom to repent. This mixture of joy, humility and certainty in His grace is very persuasive in our witness; when it is evidenced within the very fibers of the being of those saved by grace through faith. The essence of powerful personal witness is contained, I suggest, in the mixture of these two elements within the personality of the preacher. It’s the paradox of <a href='B:230 2:11'>Psa 2:11</a>: “Rejoice with trembling / contrition”. The sense that ‘we have the truth</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> yes, by God’s grace I will truly be there, and so can you be’; and yet the awful, worrying sense of our own inadequacy as women and men, which should grip and haunt every sensitive spiritual soul.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Give sincere homage to the Son, lest he be angry and you perish in the way, for His wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all those who take refuge in Him-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As explained on :10, the judgment upon the nations of :9 doesn't have to happen; if they are wise and are "instructed" in repentance. The urgency of the appeal is because "soon" the wrath of the Son is to be poured out. This appears therefore to be effectively the text of our latter day appeal, as we take the great commission to the nations which have been given to Him (see on :8). The implication is that none will survive the judgments to come unless they repent. But I suggested on :9 that the people in view are those who have already had a chance to respond to the Gospel, and not the ignorant world.</p><h2></h2>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>A fair case can be made that the titles of the Psalms are in fact just as inspired as the verses which follow them. Indeed on at least one occasion they are quoted or alluded to in the New Testament. The LXX treats them as part of the first verse of the Psalms following, although J:W. Thirtle made a fair case that at times the title of a Psalm ought to be attached to the previous Psalm, and it is a title of the previous Psalm appended at the bottom of it.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh, how my adversaries have increased! Many are those who rise up against me-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The historical reference is to how the support for Absalom appeared to mushroom once Ahithophel betrayed David and joined it: "The conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom" (<a href='B:100 15:12'>2Sa 15:12</a>). They considered that God wouldn't now help David (<a href='B:230 3:2'>Psa 3:2</a>); there was a spiritual argument used against David, no matter how wrong it was. We have here a classic example of a collapse mentality, whereby a feeding frenzy begins against an innocent man, and quasi spiritual arguments are brought in to support it. "Many" in <a href='B:230 3:1-2'>Psa 3:1-2</a> is the same word used for how the people "increased" with Absalom. "Rise up" in <a href='B:230 3:1'>Psa 3:1</a> is the word used of Ahithophel wishing to 'rise up" and pursue David (<a href='B:100 17:1'>2Sa 17:1</a>; <a href='B:100 18:31'>2Sa 18:31</a>). In response to the rising up of others against him, David asks God to 'rise up' (<a href='B:230 3:7'>Psa 3:7</a> s:w:). David's prayer in Psalms 3 was answered, and Ahithophel 'rose up' and committed suicide (<a href='B:100 17:23'>2Sa 17:23</a>). </p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Many there are who say of my soul, There is no help for him in God! Selah-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>"Many" is a tacit recognition of how popularly supported was Absalom's uprising (<a href='B:100 15:12'>2Sa 15:12</a>). But the "selah", the pause for meditation, is an invitation to reflect that masses of human strength is nothing compared to God.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>But You, Yahweh, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The "selah" of :2 may also reflect David's pause for introspection, as to whether in fact God had really indeed cast him off because of his sins. But he concludes with the triumph of :3, that God now lifted up his head and would be a shield to him- appealing to the promises to Abraham, that God would be a shield to Abraham and his true seed (<a href='B:10 15:1'>Gen 15:1</a>). Such appeal to the promises which form the basis for the new covenant is common in the Psalms, and can just as legitimately be made by us.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I cry to Yahweh with my voice, and He answers me out of His holy hill-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David had fled Jerusalem and the "holy hill" of the temple mount, which was now under Absalom's control. But he believes Yahweh is still there, present as it were in the temple, and answering his prayer. He perhaps alludes to the promises that if Israel sinned and were exiled, they could always pray to God and hope for regathering to His holy hill (<a href='B:50 30:1-4'>Deu 30:1-4</a>; <a href='B:160 1:9'>Neh 1:9</a>). Solomon develops these thoughts further, in teaching that Israel in their dispersion were to pray to God toward Jerusalem, His "holy hill" of Zion (<a href='B:110 8:48-49'>1Ki 8:48-49</a>). We see therefore how Solomon would have reflected upon his father David's experience; David had prayed towards God's "holy hill" when in exile from it, and had been heard. Solomon may well have been in David's retinue at the time, and would have experienced the wonder of return to Zion because of his father's prayer towards God in Zion.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I laid myself down and slept; I awoke, because Yahweh sustains me-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>At his very nadir, with the insurrection apparently gaining momentum on every hand, David was able to lay down in peace and sleep, probably near the roadside somewhere on the way. As he awoke, he reflected that Yahweh had sustained him, and would ultimately 'awake' him to salvation. We likewise marvel how Peter could sleep soundly in prison the night before his planned execution. This is the peace which comes from true faith. And let us too not fail to be impressed by God's grace in awaking us each morning. Let our first thoughts on awakening be of Him, in prayer. God will keep us in "perfect peace" if our mind is "stayed" or 'sustained' upon Him (s:w. <a href='B:290 26:3'>Isa 26:3</a>). If we allow our mind to be sustained upon Him, He will sustain us. So often the Psalms reflect the mutuality possible between a man and his God. See on <a href='B:230 4:4'>Psa 4:4</a>.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I will not be afraid of tens of thousands of people who have set themselves against me on every side-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>These thousands of people were those in the "strong" conspiracy of Absalom which at that time appeared to be gathering momentum by the hour (<a href='B:100 15:12'>2Sa 15:12</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Arise, Yahweh! Save me, my God! For You have struck all of my enemies on the cheek bone. You have broken the teeth of the wicked-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>"Cheek bone" is literally "the jaw bone", and is the same word used about Samson's victory with a jaw bone when his own people had betrayed him (s:w. <a href='B:70 15:16'>Jdg 15:16</a>). The Hebrew could as well be an invitation for God to strike his enemies with the jaw bone. We then go on to observe that Psalms 3 is full of reference to Samson's fight at Lehi. It was also written at a time when David was betrayed by his own people: "Many are saying of me, 'God will not deliver him'" - the thoughts of the Israelites as they delivered the bound Samson to the Philistines. "But you are a shield around me"- how it must have seemed to a spectator. "To the Lord I cry aloud"- as Samson did. "I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me"- huge armies against one solitary man is a clear reference to Samson at Lehi.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Salvation belongs to Yahweh. Your blessing be on Your people. Selah- </p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David wanted salvation from Absalom's rebellion so that God's blessing would be upon His people. He had a far wider ranging motivation than mere personal salvation. David acts here as the High Priest pronouncing the priestly blessing of the people (<a href='B:40 6:24'>Num 6:24</a>); just as he acted several times as a priest. See on <a href='B:230 4:6'>Psa 4:6</a>.</p><h2></h2>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of David-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This Psalm is clearly related to Psalms 3, concerning David's prayer at the time of Absalom's rebellion. It has been observed: "In its metrical structure it very much resembles <a href='B:230 3:1-8'>Psa 3:1-8</a>; being composed, like that, of a short strophe (verses 1,2), a short anti-strophe (<a href='B:230 3:3-4'>Psa 3:3-4</a>), and a longer epode (<a href='B:230 3:5-8'>Psa 3:5-8</a>). The divisions are marked, as in <a href='B:230 3:1-8'>Psa 3:1-8</a>; by the introduction of the word selah, perhaps meaning "pause," or "rest"". I suggest that Psalms 3 is as it were the raw prayer of David in the heat of the moment; and Psalms 4 is now a more formal arrangement for "stringed instruments":&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Answer me when I call, God of my righteousness. Give me relief from my distress. Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The request for mercy may appear to clash with the statement about "God of my righteousness". David may simply mean that he is 'right' in the controversy with Absalom. But Absalom's rebellion was after his sin with Bathsheba, when he had learned the wonder of imputed righteousness. And perhaps it is to this which he alludes. See on :3,5.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>You sons of men, how long shall my glory be turned into dishonour? Will you love vanity, and go seeking after falsehood?<strong>- </strong></p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Vanity and falsehood are terms often associated with idolatry. And this was never far from the surface amongst Old Testament Israel. It could be that he laments that Absalom's new ruling junta was devoted to idolatry rather than to Yahweh. David's "glory" was in his God, and Yahweh was being dishonoured by this idolatry.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>But know that Yahweh has set apart for Himself him who is Godly: Yahweh will hear when I call to Him-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I suggested on :1 that David has in mind the righteousness imputed to him after his sin regarding Bathsheba. "Him who is Godly" is a term he has used about himself in his marvel at God's grace to him at that time, believing that his trust in God's grace and justification by that grace was to be the pattern for all who afterward would be "Godly" (<a href='B:230 32:6'>Psa 32:6</a>). If God had heard his calling upon God's grace at the time of his sin with Bathsheba, He surely would do so now that he was facing the consequences of that sin. We see here how in His grace, God is willing to save sinners like David even from the consequences of their sins:&nbsp;</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Be angry, and don’t sin. Search your own heart on your bed, and be still-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I suggest this, as often in the Psalms, is a soliloquy- David talking to himself. He was naturally angry with Absalom and those who had betrayed him, but he urges himself not to sin in that anger. He accepts that anger is of itself not sinful, but that it can easily lead to sin. I noted on :1 the connection with Psalms 3, here to <a href='B:230 3:5'>Psa 3:5</a>, where he recalls how whilst on the run from Absalom he had laid down to sleep and awoken assured of God's ultimate salvation. But before he had laid down to sleep that night, he had searched his own heart. It was that good conscience with God which was the basis for his peaceful sleep. Paul quotes this verse as relevant to us all (<a href='B:560 4:26'>Eph 4:26</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The prophets were up against the same passionless spirit that pervades our societies today. The Jews came to discount the existence of God as a person, and condemned any form of anger or passion: “God loves him who never gets angry” (Pesahim 113b); “He who gets angry is regarded as if he would worship an idol” (Maimonides, Mishne Torah, Deoth, Vol. 2, 3). “Do not get angry and you will not sin” (Berachoth 29b). By contrast, consider <a href='B:230 4:4'>Psa 4:4</a> (quoted in <a href='B:560 4:26'>Eph 4:26</a> and exemplified in the anger of the Lord Jesus): “Be angry and sin not”. The Rabbinic commentaries changed this to “Tremble before God, and you will not sin”.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, put your trust in Yahweh-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This is again David talking to himself (:4). He was exiled from Jerusalem. The sacrifices he has in view were therefore those he had been driven to make in his heart at the time of his sin with Bathsheba (<a href='B:230 51:17'>Psa 51:17</a>)- those of a broken heart. At this point of Absalom's rebellion, he was aware that he was suffering the consequences of that sin, and as noted on :1,3,5, is alluding to the lessons he had learned then.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Many say, Who will show us any good? Yahweh, let the light of Your face shine on us-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>These "many" are the many who had joined Absalom's rebellion (<a href='B:230 3:2'>Psa 3:2</a>; <a href='B:230 3:6'>Psa 3:6</a>; <a href='B:100 15:12'>2Sa 15:12</a>). But they wonder "who will show us any good". Perhaps amongst those faithful to David there was the idea that nobody, not even God, would show them any "good" or grace now. But David asks for the light of God's face to shine, the sign of His acceptance. And that is what is so critically important when we are rejected by men. As noted on <a href='B:230 3:8'>Psa 3:8</a>, David alludes to the high priestly blessing (<a href='B:40 6:24'>Num 6:24</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>You have put gladness in my heart, more than when their grain and their new wine are increased-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The allusion is to how Absalom was feasting in celebration now that he had apparently taken the throne (as happened at the rebellion of <a href='B:110 1:19'>1Ki 1:19</a>; <a href='B:110 1:25'>1Ki 1:25</a>). But the gladness of a good conscience with God meant far more to David than such rejoicing and secular feasting. We note that God can operate directly upon the human heart, the outcome of His Spirit working upon the human spirit or heart. And He can do so today just as much.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep, for You, Yahweh alone, make me live in safety-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This connects with <a href='B:230 3:5'>Psa 3:5</a>. At his very nadir, with the insurrection apparently gaining momentum on every hand, David was able to lay down in peace and sleep, probably near the roadside somewhere on the way. As he awoke, he reflected that Yahweh had sustained him, and would ultimately 'awake' him to salvation. We likewise marvel how Peter could sleep soundly in prison the night before his planned execution. This is the peace which comes from true faith. And let us too not fail to be impressed by God's grace in awaking us each morning. Let our first thoughts on awakening be of Him, in prayer. God will keep us in "perfect peace" if our mind is "stayed" or 'sustained' upon Him (s:w. <a href='B:290 26:3'>Isa 26:3</a>). If we allow our mind to be sustained upon Him, He will sustain us. So often the Psalms reflect the mutuality possible between a man and his God. See on <a href='B:230 4:4'>Psa 4:4</a>.</p><h2></h2>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For the Chief Musician, with the flutes. A Psalm of David.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Give ear to my words, Yahweh. Consider my meditation-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Who we are as persons is effectively our prayer and plea to God. This conception of prayer explains why often weeping, crying, waiting, meditating etc. are spoken of as "prayer" , although there was no specific verbalizing of requests (<a href='B:230 5:1-2'>Psa 5:1-2</a>; <a href='B:230 6:8'>Psa 6:8</a>; <a href='B:230 18:1-3'>Psa 18:1-3</a>; <a href='B:230 18:6'>Psa 18:6</a>; <a href='B:230 40:1'>Psa 40:1</a>; <a href='B:230 42:8'>Psa 42:8</a>; <a href='B:230 64:1'>Psa 64:1</a> Heb:; <a href='B:230 25:3-6'>Psa 25:3-6</a> <a href='B:230 65:1-2'>Psa 65:1-2</a>; <a href='B:230 66:17-20'>Psa 66:17-20</a>; <a href='B:450 8:22'>Zec 8:22</a>). The association between prayer and weeping is especially common: <a href='B:90 1:10'>1Sa 1:10</a>; <a href='B:230 39:12'>Psa 39:12</a>; <a href='B:230 55:1-2'>Psa 55:1-2</a>; <a href='B:500 11:41-42'>Joh 11:41-42</a>; <a href='B:650 5:7'>Heb 5:7</a>, especially in the Lord's life and the Messianic Psalms. "The Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer" (<a href='B:230 6:8-9'>Psa 6:8-9</a>) crystallizes the point.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Listen to the voice of my cry, my King and my God; for to You do I pray-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The surrounding culture assumed that the louder one cried, the more likely God was to hear. We think of the prophets of Baal on Carmel. But David broke that paradigm; he knew that his internal "meditation" (:1) was seen by God as his "cry". David the king repeatedly calls God his "king". His exaltation didn't lead him to pride, as he was always under the deep impression that he was not the ultimate king (<a href='B:230 5:2'>Psa 5:2</a>; <a href='B:230 10:16'>Psa 10:16</a>; <a href='B:230 29:10'>Psa 29:10</a>; <a href='B:230 44:4'>Psa 44:4</a>; <a href='B:230 47:6'>Psa 47:6</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh, in the morning You shall hear my voice; in the morning I will lay my requests before You-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Psalms 5 has similarities with Psalms 3, 4, both of which I have shown were relevant to Absalom's rebellion. Here the connection is to how David laid down in peace and slept as he fled from Absalom, so confident of his good conscience with God and that God would ultimately save him (see on <a href='B:230 3:5'>Psa 3:5</a>; <a href='B:230 4:4'>Psa 4:4</a>). David's first waking moments were naturally of prayer to God. And this is our pattern. He often mentions his habit of regular prayer morning and evening (<a href='B:230 5:3'>Psa 5:3</a>; <a href='B:230 55:17'>Psa 55:17</a>; <a href='B:230 59:16'>Psa 59:16</a>; <a href='B:230 88:3'>Psa 88:3</a>; <a href='B:230 119:147'>Psa 119:147</a>). This&nbsp; should not have to be enforced upon us, but rather the natural outcome of a life lived in constant connection with God. David perceived that the Mosaic ritual of morning and evening sacrifice taught the sacrifice of prayer should be made in daily life, even though at the time of many of the Psalms, David was exiled from the sanctuary. This exile from organized religion led him to make this connection, as it can for us too.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>And will watch expectantly-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> We must be careful what we pray for. Because we will likely receive it in some form. If indeed the context of this Psalm is that of Absalom's rebellion, then we have to note that this same word for 'watching expectantly' is used repeatedly of the expectant watching for news of the battle with Absalom (<a href='B:100 18:24-27'>2Sa 18:24-27</a>); and the news was not what David wanted to hear. Absalom had been slain. But he had asked God to save him from Absalom's rebellion, and promised to "watch expectantly" for the answer.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For You are not a God who has pleasure in wickedness, evil can’t live with You-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Although this Psalm has relevance to Absalom's rebellion, it is a reworking of David's feelings when persecuted by Saul and likewise on the run from him. For circumstances repeat in our lives, and it would be natural for David to reconsider Psalms written at the time of one exile and apply them to another, just as these Psalms were also used for others in their times of exile. "Wickedness" is the word used about Saul's persecution in <a href='B:90 24:13'>1Sa 24:13</a>.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The arrogant shall not stand in Your sight; you hate all workers of iniquity-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> To stand in God's sight means at times to be His representative. David is saying that the wicked like Saul or Absalom cannot continue as kings, ultimately. The essential problem with them David perceived, was their pride.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>You will destroy those who speak lies-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Lies" is the word used in <a href='B:230 4:2'>Psa 4:2</a> about the men in Absalom's conspiracy. David saw the telling of lies as the epitome of sin (<a href='B:230 58:3'>Psa 58:3</a> s:w:).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> But this is not to say there can be no salvation for such a person; for Jacob and his sons were "deceitful" (s:w. <a href='B:10 27:35'>Gen 27:35</a>; <a href='B:10 34:13'>Gen 34:13</a>) but were patiently led to better ways. If as suggested this Psalm originated at the time of Absalom's rebellion, then we can note that Shimei at that time had called David a "bloodthirsty man" (<a href='B:100 16:7-8'>2Sa 16:7-8</a> s:w:). And the same words are used by God about David (<a href='B:130 28:3'>1Ch 28:3</a>). So we can wonder whether David was too quick here to assume that the 'man of blood' was hated by God and was of course not him. If he has Absalom in view, then his imprecation against Absalom was answered, and he then regretted it. Just as Jeremiah in Lamentations laments the very things which he had prophesied against his own people. We really have to be careful what we pray for, for in essence we shall usually receive it.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>But as for me, in the abundance of Your grace I will come into Your house. I will bow toward Your holy temple in reverence of You-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> David had fled Jerusalem and the "holy hill" of the temple mount (<a href='B:230 3:4'>Psa 3:4</a>), which was now under Absalom's control. But he believes Yahweh is still there, present as it were in the temple, and answering his prayer; he prayed toward the sanctuary which he believed he would return to, by grace. He perhaps alludes to the promises that if Israel sinned and were exiled, they could always pray to God and hope for regathering to His holy hill (<a href='B:50 30:1-4'>Deu 30:1-4</a>; <a href='B:160 1:9'>Neh 1:9</a>). Solomon develops these thoughts further, in teaching that Israel in their dispersion were to pray to God toward Jerusalem, His "holy hill" of Zion (<a href='B:110 8:48-49'>1Ki 8:48-49</a>). We see therefore how Solomon would have reflected upon his father David's experience; David had prayed towards God's "holy hill" when in exile from it, and had been heard. Solomon may well have been in David's retinue at the time, and would have experienced the wonder of return to Zion because of his father's prayer towards God in Zion. We note the usage of "holy temple", which didn't exist in David's time. This is a typical example of how the Psalms were rewritten under Divine inspiration. David's faith and hope that he would return to the sanctuary was reapplied to the exiles, who were likewise to believe that they would be regathered to the temple.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Lead me, Yahweh, in Your righteousness because of my enemies. Make Your way straight before my face-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> David was fleeing from Absalom, not clear where exactly he was going. And he asks to be led, in a straight way; and to realize which way he should take. And whatever the path, he wishes it to be that of righteousness. The "straight" path recalls the language used in Ezekiel about the way of the cherubim (<a href='B:330 1:7'>Eze 1:7</a>), who were to regather Judah to their land and the temple (:7)- if they wished to follow them. David's feelings and faith as he was in exile as a consequence for his sins were to be those of the exiles, in a similar position.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For there is no faithfulness in their mouth. Their heart is destruction. Their throat is an open tomb. They flatter with their tongue-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> We may well enquire how David thought he knew the state of heart [AV "inward part"] of his enemies (<a href='B:230 5:9'>Psa 5:9</a>; <a href='B:230 36:1'>Psa 36:1</a>; <a href='B:230 49:11'>Psa 49:11</a>; <a href='B:230 62:4'>Psa 62:4</a>; <a href='B:230 64:6'>Psa 64:6</a>). Perhaps it was a result of his reflection upon how he had only had a right spirit or heart given by God "within" him as a result of his repentance (<a href='B:230 51:10'>Psa 51:10</a> s:w:). His enemies were impenitent, and so perhaps on that basis he knew what was in their hearts. But perhaps David was too hasty to judge. For these words are quoted in <a href='B:520 3:13'>Rom 3:13</a> about all humanity, including the believers who are saved by grace alone. It's as if the Spirit through Paul is somewhat correcting David's idea that only some 'very wicked' people are like thIsa.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Hold them guilty, God. Let them fall by their own advice; thrust them out in the multitude of their transgressions, for they have rebelled against You-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The rebellion of Absalom was against David, but he rightly perceives it as being essentially against God. Perhaps Ahithophel is particularly in view; he fell by his own advice (<a href='B:100 17:23'>2Sa 17:23</a>). Whilst his suicide was completely his decision, it was also an answer to David's prayer at this point.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>But let all those who take refuge in You rejoice, let them always shout for joy, because You defend them. Let them also who love Your name be joyful in You-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> David has in mind the loyal ones who remained faithful to him at the time of Absalom's rebellion. Eternal or "always" shouting for joy is the phrase only used elsewhere about the returned exiles (<a href='B:290 61:7'>Isa 61:7</a>). Again we see how David's joy upon returning to Zion from exile was intended to be that of the restored exiles- if they followed David's path of penitence.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'></p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For You will bless the righteous. Yahweh, You will surround him with favour as with a shield- As in <a href='B:230 3:3'>Psa 3:3</a>, clearly written at the time of Absalom's rebellion (<a href='B:230 3:1'>Psa 3:1</a>). David is appealing to the promises to Abraham, that God would be a shield to Abraham and his true seed (<a href='B:10 15:1'>Gen 15:1</a>). Such appeal to the promises which form the basis for the new covenant is common in the Psalms, and can just as legitimately be made by us.</p><h2></h2>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments, upon the eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm of David.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh, don’t rebuke me in Your anger, neither discipline me in Your wrath-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This sounds like a reflection on his feelings after the sin with Bathsheba. He was so delighted at God's response that David wanted it to be sung by others. The words are very similar to those in <a href='B:230 38:1'>Psa 38:1</a>, also a Bathsheba Psalm, which is titled "to bring to remembrance"; as if David wanted his past sin and forgiveness to be remembered, so that he might fulfil his desire to teach other sinners of God's grace (<a href='B:230 51:13'>Psa 51:13</a>). And he used music to do thIsa. See on <a href='B:230 50:8'>Psa 50:8</a>. David had been open to Nathan's "rebuke" (<a href='B:230 141:5'>Psa 141:5</a>), which was not given in God's anger so much as in His appeal for David to accept His grace. The chastening or "discipline" is the word used for David's experiences after the sin with Bathsheba (s:w. <a href='B:230 38:1'>Psa 38:1</a>; <a href='B:230 39:11'>Psa 39:11</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Have mercy on me, Yahweh, for I am faint. Yahweh, heal me, for my bones are troubled-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This would refer to David's pain and illness after his sin with Bathsheba, of which we read in many of the Bathsheba Psalms. His bone pain looked ahead to that experienced by the Lord upon the cross, where He is presented as suffering as David did for sin- whilst personally innocent, He was totally our representative there.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>My soul is also in great anguish. But You, Yahweh <strong>,</strong>how long?<strong>- </strong></p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>"In great anguish" is a phrase used only here and in :10, and about Saul the night before he died (<a href='B:90 28:21'>1Sa 28:21</a>). David is wishing his enemies felt like he did (:10), which may be considered a basic psychological reaction to suffering at the hands of others, and yet all the same appears to fall far short of Christian principles. And yet God responded to this- for perhaps this Psalm was originally written earlier in David's life, and it was answered in Saul's sufferings as David had. And then David reused the Psalm with reference to his anguish at the time of his sin with Bathsheba.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Return, Yahweh. Deliver my soul, and save me for Your grace’ sake-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The "return" of Yahweh suggests he felt the absence of God's presence, and it is this "return" of Yahweh that he pleads "how long?" in :3. David realized "grace" at the time of his sin with Bathsheba; his salvation could be by grace alone, and not, as he has pleaded in earlier Psalms, because of the pureness of his own hands.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For in death there is no memory of You. In Sheol, who shall give You thanks?<strong>- </strong></p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Clear enough evidence that death is unconsciousness. David recognized that his life was indeed a giving of thanks to God, and such praise is in fact the purpose of our lives.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I am weary with my groaning; each night I flood my bed, I drench my couch with my tears-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This sounds like an emotional breakdown, regardless of the state of his physical health. Perhaps the groaning and tears were in prayer to God; for most references to David's activity "each night" are to his prayers.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>My eye wastes away because of grief, it grows old because of all my adversaries-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>"Grief" is the word used for the wrath of God (<a href='B:230 85:4'>Psa 85:4</a>), but could also refer to the anger of others- perhaps the family of Bathsheba, or the followers of Saul, was originally in view. A sense of fading vision would be appropriate to both his physical and emotional state. In the Bathsheba context it would seem that during his illness, there arose "adversaries" against him. But as noted on :3,10, the Psalm may have originated whilst under persecution by Saul.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This is the word for how God had departed from Saul, and maybe this was initially behind David's desire that Saul leave him alone. But it is also the word used for how violence would never depart from David because of his sin with Bathsheba (<a href='B:100 12:10'>2Sa 12:10</a>). David prayed for this to "depart" but it never did. David was open to the possibility that through prayer, God can remove the consequences of sin in this life; but such prayer is not always answered.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For Yahweh has heard the voice of my weeping-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Who we are as persons is effectively our prayer and plea to God. This conception of prayer explains why often weeping, crying, waiting, meditating etc. are spoken of as "prayer" , although there was no specific verbalizing of requests (<a href='B:230 5:1-2'>Psa 5:1-2</a>; <a href='B:230 6:8'>Psa 6:8</a>; <a href='B:230 18:1-3'>Psa 18:1-3</a>; <a href='B:230 18:6'>Psa 18:6</a>; <a href='B:230 40:1'>Psa 40:1</a>; <a href='B:230 42:8'>Psa 42:8</a>; <a href='B:230 64:1'>Psa 64:1</a> Heb:; 65:1,2; 66:17-20; <a href='B:450 8:22'>Zec 8:22</a>). The association between prayer and weeping is especially common: <a href='B:90 1:10'>1Sa 1:10</a>; <a href='B:230 39:12'>Psa 39:12</a>; <a href='B:230 55:1-2'>Psa 55:1-2</a>; <a href='B:500 11:41-42'>Joh 11:41-42</a>; <a href='B:650 5:7'>Heb 5:7</a>, especially in the Lord's life and the Messianic Psalms. "The Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer" (<a href='B:230 6:8-9'>Psa 6:8-9</a>) crystallizes the point.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh has heard my supplication, Yahweh accepts my prayer-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>There is no evidence that suddenly David got better and his enemies disappeared. Rather does the reality dawn upon David whilst still in prayer- that his prayer has indeed been accepted. Perhaps there was some visible sign of this, such as a manifestation of Divine glory. But more likely he experienced as we do, a deep sense of reality- that his words had been heard and accepted by God in heaven.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>May all my enemies be ashamed and dismayed. They shall turn back, they shall be disgraced suddenly- </p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As explained on :3, this had initial reference to the destruction of Saul; "dismayed" is s:w. "great anguish" in :3. And yet when this actually happened, David lamented over Saul; perhaps all the more because he realized his prayers against Saul had been answered, and he recognized he ought to have been more charitable to his enemies.</p><h2></h2>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>A meditation by David, which he sang to Yahweh, concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Cush may be another name for Shimei; or perhaps "the black one of Benjamin" may be another term for Saul. But much in the Psalm is so appropriate to Shimei's cursing of David as he fled from Absalom. But it could equally refer to some supporter of Saul the Benjamite during David's wilderness years. Most likely it could be that a Psalm composed in the wilderness years was later rewritten by David with reference to Shimei's abuse of him:&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh my God, I take refuge in You. Save me from all those who pursue me and deliver me-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The idea is that God was David's city of refuge. These cities were for those who needed to flee when being chased by the avenger of blood (<a href='B:40 35:26'>Num 35:26</a>). The imagery is very appropriate to David when fleeing from Saul and Absalom. David's constant meditation upon God's law would have included the sections about the cities of refuge; he realized that actually no such city was available for him, but the spirit of the law led him to reflect that Yahweh was his refuge, wherever he was. David tends to open wilderness Psalms with this reflection, just as we may tend to begin prayers with the same opening phrase and thoughts (<a href='B:230 7:1'>Psa 7:1</a>; <a href='B:230 11:1'>Psa 11:1</a>; <a href='B:230 16:1'>Psa 16:1</a>; <a href='B:230 31:1'>Psa 31:1</a>; <a href='B:230 57:1'>Psa 57:1</a>; <a href='B:230 71:1'>Psa 71:1</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>lest they tear apart my soul like a lion, ripping it in pieces while there is none to deliver-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The tenses appear to be saying that this was ongoing. In this case, we see the power of words (:1); the same lesson as taught in the agony Job suffered because of the words of his friends. The image of a lion "ripping to pieces" is the language used of Judah's sufferings at the hands of their enemies (s:w. <a href='B:330 19:12'>Eze 19:12</a>; <a href='B:450 11:16'>Zec 11:16</a>). This Psalm of David was likely used in that context, as it can be by all of us when being ripped apart by others.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh, my God, if I have done this, if there is iniquity in my hands-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> David has said these words in a different context, addressed to Jonathan, in <a href='B:90 20:8'>1Sa 20:8</a>. This is one of those powerful incidental proofs that the scriptures are accurate and inspired; it is circumstantially credible that a man would use the same turn of phrase both to God and to his close friend. Perhaps this total denial of iniquity was something which, in the bigger picture, the Bathsheba incident was used by God to correct. When we are under patently false accusation, we can easily assume we are in fact innocent totally of any sin at any time in our lives. Reading through the book of Psalms in one or two sittings reveals that frequent and intense self-examination was a leading characteristic of David:, especially while on the run from Saul; as if he began to pick up false guilt from how he was being treated, wondering if it was all in fact justified (<a href='B:230 4:4'>Psa 4:4</a>; <a href='B:230 7:3'>Psa 7:3</a>; <a href='B:230 17:3'>Psa 17:3</a>; <a href='B:230 18:20-24'>Psa 18:20-24</a>; <a href='B:230 19:12'>Psa 19:12</a>; <a href='B:230 26:1'>Psa 26:1</a>; <a href='B:230 39:1'>Psa 39:1</a>; <a href='B:230 59:3'>Psa 59:3</a>; <a href='B:230 66:18'>Psa 66:18</a>; <a href='B:230 77:6'>Psa 77:6</a>; <a href='B:230 86:2'>Psa 86:2</a>; <a href='B:230 101:2'>Psa 101:2</a>; <a href='B:230 109:3'>Psa 109:3</a>; <a href='B:230 139:23-24'>Psa 139:23-24</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>if I have rewarded evil to him who was at peace with me (yes, if I have delivered him who without cause was my adversary)<strong>- </strong></p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David sounds like Job at this point, in Job's great clearing of himself. But he like David (see on :3) had to be brought to realize that he had protested too much against the patent false accusations made against him. See on :10.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>let the enemy pursue my soul, and overtake it; yes, let him tread my life down to the earth, and lay my glory in the dust-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This again recalls the speeches of Job; see on :4. David felt as if he had been trodden down into the dust; his argument was that this should only have happened if he had done bad things. Whilst he had not done what he was accused of, he had yet to realize that he was all the same a sinner, saved by grace alone.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Arise, Yahweh, in Your anger; lift up Yourself against the rage of my adversaries. Awake for me; You have commanded judgment-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> There is a repeated Biblical theme that the believer's relationship with the Father too is essentially mutual. David lifts himself up to God (<a href='B:230 25:1'>Psa 25:1</a>; <a href='B:230 28:2'>Psa 28:2</a>; <a href='B:230 86:4'>Psa 86:4</a>), and asks God to lift up Himself in response (<a href='B:230 7:6'>Psa 7:6</a>; <a href='B:230 10:12'>Psa 10:12</a>; <a href='B:230 94:2'>Psa 94:2</a>). David has no doubt that God's judgment is ongoing and that He had "commanded judgment" against Saul; which he knew anyway from the fact Samuel had prophetically condemned Saul on God's behalf. But he impatiently yearned for that Divine word to be activated. The truth was, and is, that in the gap between the Divine judgment and the realization of it- there is an opportunity for repentance, so that the word of judgment may not have to be fulfilled. We all live in that gap.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Let the congregation of the peoples surround You. Rule over them on high-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> David's conception of the judgment seat was of all nations being judged there, along with Saul and the responsible within Israel. David clearly has in view not merely salvation from Saul and his judgment, but the visible involvement of God to judge all peoples- the picture of the Kingdom of God established upon earth. And then His Kingdom or rulership over all would be established.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh administers judgment to the peoples. Judge me, Yahweh, according to my righteousness, and to my integrity that is in me-</p>&nbsp;<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>To God, slanderers and false teachers within the ecclesia already are given their condemnation (<a href='B:520 3:8'>Rom 3:8</a>). "The Lord shall judge the people::. God judgeth (present tense) the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day::. he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready. He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows" (<a href='B:230 7:8'>Psa 7:8</a>; <a href='B:230 7:11-13'>Psa 7:11-13</a> AV). God is now judging men, and preparing their final reward. For the wicked, the arrow is prepared in the bow, the sword is sharpened- all waiting for the final day in which the present judgments will be executed.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous; their minds and hearts are searched by the righteous God-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The future day of global judgment which was in view (see on :7) would essentially be of minds and hearts; David saw through the persecution of Saul to the essential issue, which was that his heart was not right with God. His desire for the "wicked [to] come to an end" speaks of his desire for the death of Saul, and for the establishment of his own kingdom. He saw himself as "the righteous". We wonder if he would have been better to be somewhat more self critical at this point. For he was only "righteous" relative to the sin of Saul, and was not ultimately "righteous" before God, as he later comes to perceive.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> As noted on :9, David might have been a bit more self critical at this point. For he sees himself as "the upright in heart", when there is not a man on earth who sins not- apart from the Lord Jesus. I noted on :4,5,14 that David is seeing himself as Job, and he here continues that connection, seeing that Job is described likewise as "upright in heart" (<a href='B:220 1:8'>Job 1:8</a>; <a href='B:220 2:3'>Job 2:3</a>). David sees this as characteristic of all God's people (s:w. <a href='B:230 11:2'>Psa 11:2</a>; <a href='B:230 19:8'>Psa 19:8</a>; <a href='B:230 32:11'>Psa 32:11</a>; <a href='B:230 36:10'>Psa 36:10</a>; <a href='B:230 64:10'>Psa 64:10</a>; <a href='B:230 94:15'>Psa 94:15</a>; <a href='B:230 97:11'>Psa 97:11</a>). He sees the wicked as those who are not upright (<a href='B:230 14:3'>Psa 14:3</a>; <a href='B:230 53:1'>Psa 53:1</a>; <a href='B:230 53:3'>Psa 53:3</a>). But these words which David writes about the wicked are then reinterpreted as applying to all men, God's people included (<a href='B:520 3:12'>Rom 3:12</a>). Like Job, David had to be taught that actually he was failing to see the seriousness of sin; righteousness and acceptability with God is imputed to men by grace through faith, because actually there are none who are upright in heart, apart from God's representative son.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>God is a righteous judge, yes, a God who has indignation every day-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Although David wants the day of future judgment to come (see on :7), he recognizes that God has not suspended judgment until that last day; He is actively judging now, although He will not fully articulate that judgment until the day of judgment.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>If a man doesn’t relent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent and strung His bow-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> There is a gap between God's pronouncement of judgment and carrying it out. During that gap there can be repentance, and the threatened judgments won't come. We all live within that gap. Even for the likes of Saul and his Benjamite supporters (:1), there was this opportunity for repentance.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He has also Himself prepared the instruments of death, He makes ready His burning arrows-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> David appears to see God as having prepared torture instruments which will be used to bring about the destruction and death of the wicked at the last day. But we wonder whether David was giving due weight to the fact that God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked; His passion is rather for their repentance in this life (<a href='B:330 33:11'>Eze 33:11</a>). But that desire to see Saul or other abusers repenting::. is not much seen in David.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Behold, he travails with iniquity. Yes, he has conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> David contrasts the behaviour of the wicked with the activity of God in preparing judgment for them (:13). This juxtaposition is true only on one level; the essence of the matter is that God is far more interested in the repentance of the wicked than in destroying them, necessary as that may finally be (<a href='B:330 33:11'>Eze 33:11</a>). He is quoting here from <a href='B:220 15:35'>Job 15:35</a>; see on :4,5,10. But David is correct to perceive that sin begins in the human heart, and brings forth sin and then death through a process internal to the human mind (as in <a href='B:660 1:13-15'>Jas 1:13-15</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He has dug a hole, and has fallen into the pit which he made-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This again is true, but we note David's apparent lack of desire to offer repentance to his abusers; for the way of God is to save those who are in the holes dug by themselves. For we are all in that position.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The trouble he causes shall return upon his own head, his violence shall come down on the crown of his own head-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> In the context of Shimei, whose cursing was the initial context of this Psalm (see on :1), David sought himself to bring this about. He told Solomon to ensure that Shimei's head and grey hairs should be brought down with blood to the grave by him (<a href='B:110 2:8-9'>1Ki 2:8-9</a>). This unspiritual attitude of David was rooted in the way that at the earlier point, here in <a href='B:230 7:16'>Psa 7:16</a>, David rejoiced in the thought that Shimei would be condemned by God; and sets about to bring that condemnation about himself. This surely was a case of taking Divine judgment into his own hand in a way he should not have done, and quite overlooking the Divine desire for repentance.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I will give thanks to Yahweh according to His righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of Yahweh Most High</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This praise appears to be at the prospect of God condemning Shimei; when in fact God is far more interested in the repentance of the wicked than in destroying them, necessary as that may finally be (<a href='B:330 33:11'>Eze 33:11</a>).</p><h2></h2>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For the Chief Musician; on an instrument of Gath. A Psalm of David-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Psalms 9 is apparently titled "On the death of the champion", i:e. Goliath. J:W. Thirtle gave evidence to suggest that the titles of the Psalms have sometimes become muddled, with the titles of some Psalms intended to be relevant to the preceding Psalm, in this case Psalms 8. This would lend weight to the suggestion that Psalms 8 is David's reflections after the death of Goliath. The reference here in <a href='B:230 8:1'>Psa 8:1</a> to Gath would also refer to Goliath, who was from Gath.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth, You who has set Your glory above the heavens!<strong>- </strong></p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>It was David's name which was much set by (<a href='B:90 18:30'>1Sa 18:30</a>); but David's desire was it should be Yahweh's Name which was now made majestic after the defeat of Goliath, and not his name.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>From the lips of babes and infants You have established strength, because of Your adversaries-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This may be an intensive plural, referring to David himself, who was considered a youth, and in his humility as he reflected upon his victory, he considered that before God he was but a baby. The Lord quotes this from the LXX, as if the babes and infants were praising Him, the Lord Jesus (<a href='B:470 21:16'>Mat 21:16</a>). The original context clearly speaks of David praising God for His victory over Goliath. But the Lord understood the entire incident as prophetic of His victory over the Goliath of sin; achieved at Golgotha, 'the skull of Goliath'. The entire incident opens up as a prophecy of the Lord's victory over sin (see on 1 Samuel 17).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>That You might silence the enemy and the avenger-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The initial reference was to the great, blaspheming voice of Goliath being silenced. The words were likely also used about the destruction of Haman (s:w. <a href='B:190 8:13'>Est 8:13</a>). But David's humility is again revealed by calling Goliath "the avenger"; for the Philistines were used by God to revenge the disobedience of the Israelites.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>It seems the night David killed Goliath, he looked up at the stars, in line with Abraham his spiritual father. "Ordained" is the word used of the establishment of the Kingdom of Israel, the symbolic heavens, under David (<a href='B:90 13:13'>1Sa 13:13</a> cp. <a href='B:100 5:12'>2Sa 5:12</a>). He perhaps later tweaked his composition, under inspiration, to reflect how this was all pointing forward to the establishment of the Kingdom under himself. But perhaps he also looked further, to how the Kingdom of God in Israel was to be established (s:w. "ordained") ultimately under the hand of his Messianic seed (s:w. <a href='B:100 7:12-13'>2Sa 7:12-13</a>; <a href='B:100 7:16'>2Sa 7:16</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Therefore, taking this interpretation further, Psalms 8 is quoted in Hebrews 2 to prove the Lord Jesus Christ's superiority over the Angels; as if the triumphant David at this point was representative of the Lord Jesus. Verses 3-5 therefore show His marvel at how a human like Himself should be considered worthy to have such great Angelic attention; based upon David's feelings after the victory. Such was His respect of them: "When I consider Thy Heavens, the work of Thy fingers (the Heavens were created by the Angels; the Law was given by the Angelic finger of God writing on the stones), the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou art mindful of Him? ('why should You think so much about mere Me?') and the son of man (Jesus) that Thou visitest (Angelic language) Him? For Thou hast made Him a little lower than the Angels::. Thou madest Him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands (the Hand of the Lord is Angelic language; they were used to create all things); Thou hast put all things (including the Angels) under&nbsp;His feet: all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field::."- i. e. the things of the natural creation made and controlled by the Angels.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>what is man, that You are mindful of him, and the son of man, that You care for him?-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>These were David's thoughts as he marvelled at how he had been used to achieve the victory over Goliath. But as explained on :3, he becomes a symbol of the Lord Jesus, the ultimate "son of man". David is here alluding to the earlier words of Job. Probably the only extant scripture at David's time was the book of Job and the Pentateuch, which explains why he so often alludes to the book of Job. Job came to deeply marvel at the fact that despite God's highness, He tests us and meditates upon us every moment of our lives: "What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him?::. that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment?" (<a href='B:220 7:17-18'>Job 7:17-18</a>). These words became the basis of the thoughts of the Lord Jesus as prophesied in <a href='B:230 8:4'>Psa 8:4</a>: "What is man, that thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that thou visitest him?". Like Job, the Lord learnt from the depth of His own inner struggles about the moral greatness of the Father. So even God's own Son, peerless and spotless lamb of God that He was even in mortal nature, recognized that such was God's moral splendour that He was surprised that during His mortality, God was so intensely interested in Him.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As God was "mindful" of David and thereby all men in Israel through the victory granted over Goliath, so David urged that in response, they should be "mindful" of God (s:w. <a href='B:130 16:12'>1Ch 16:12</a>; <a href='B:130 16:15'>1Ch 16:15</a>). But "mindful" implies 'to remember', and is a term used for answer to prayer (<a href='B:70 16:28'>Jdg 16:28</a>; <a href='B:90 1:11'>1Sa 1:11</a> and often). David is acknowledging that he had prayed for victory, and been granted it but felt unworthy to have received such an answer.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For You have made him a little lower than the Angels, and crowned him with glory and honour-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The application to the Lord Jesus is made clear in <a href='B:650 2:7'>Heb 2:7</a>; <a href='B:650 2:9'>Heb 2:9</a>. where the midrash / interpretation is added that the Lord Jesus had to be lower than the Angels so that He might experience death; and "a little lower" is interpreted as meaning 'lower for a little / short time'. For Angels cannot die (<a href='B:490 20:35-36'>Luk 20:35-36</a>), which again supports the view that Angels are spoken of as one category, not good ones and wicked ones; and "Angels" can't die, therefore they can't sin (<a href='B:520 6:23'>Rom 6:23</a>). Belief in sinful Angels roaming the planet is not taught in the Bible. The making of man (or the Lord Jesus) for a short time lower than the Angels is no evidence of His pre-existence or Divine incarnation in Him; for the words in their original context apply to the man David and to "man" generally. The idea is that man, and the Lord Jesus, is made for a little while / period lower than the Angels, and Paul takes this as implying that both the Lord Jesus and ourselves shall be exalted higher than the Angels, seeing we are only for a short period made lower than them.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>You make him ruler over the works of Your hands. You have put all things under his feet-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David perhaps later reflected how the victory over Goliath set him up to be ruler or king over God's people. But the longer term application is to the Lord Jesus; through His victory at Golgotha, the skull of Goliath, His final kingship over literally all things was assured (<a href='B:530 15:25'>1Co 15:25</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The slant taken on this in the Hebrews 2 quotation is that this makes the Lord Jesus greater than Angels, in contrast to the Jewish worship of Angels as being greater than even Messiah. In the same way as the Angels are so closely associated with their charges that they are identified with them, so the Angels are described as the things in the natural world which they have created. <a href='B:230 8:5-6'>Psa 8:5-6</a> is quoted in <a href='B:650 2:7'>Heb 2:7</a> to prove Christ's superiority over the Angels: "Thou hast made him a little lower than the Angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands (an Angelic phrase); Thou hast put all things under his feet". "All things" often includes Angels in its context in New Testament usage. The works of God's Angel-hands in the natural creation have been put under Christ's feet, but the purpose of the quotation in Hebrews 2 is to show that the Angels have been put under Christ's feet. <a href='B:650 2:11'>Heb 2:11</a> takes the point further by saying that as the Angels are identified so exactly with that they have created, so Christ was identified with His new creation, even to the extent of having an identical nature to them.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>all sheep and cattle, yes, and the animals of the field-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>In <a href='B:230 18:39'>Psa 18:39</a> (<a href='B:100 22:40'>2Sa 22:40</a>), David reflects how his victory in battle by God's strength meant that all was subdued under him. The victory in battle which he had in view was supremely that over Goliath, his most major and applauded victory. To a far greater extent, the victory of the Lord Jesus meant not simply the subjugation of Israel beneath Him, but of all creation, including the natural creation.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>the birds of the sky, the fish of the sea, and whatever passes through the paths of the seas-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The subjection of the animal creation beneath the Lord Jesus suggests an allusion to the way that Adam failed to subject the natural creation beneath him (for he let the serpent dominate him); whereas the Lord Jesus as the second Adam did achieve total mastery over literally all things (cp. <a href='B:10 1:28'>Gen 1:28</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!- </p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>It was David's name which was much set by (<a href='B:90 18:30'>1Sa 18:30</a>); but David's desire was it should be Yahweh's Name which was now made majestic after the defeat of Goliath, and not his name.</p><h2></h2>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For the Chief Musician. Set to The Death of the Son-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Or, "the death of the champion". J:W. Thirtle gave evidence to suggest that the titles of the Psalms have sometimes become muddled, with the titles of some Psalms intended to be relevant to the preceding Psalm, in this case Psalms 8. This would lend weight to the suggestion that Psalms 8 is David's reflections after the death of Goliath. However there are elements of Psalms 9 which are also clearly appropriate to the victory over Goliath, although the ideas have been developed, under inspiration, relevant to other situations.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>A Psalm of David. I will give thanks to Yahweh with my whole heart. I will tell others of all Your marvellous works-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Wonder leads to worship, to that flame of praise which is the worship "in spirit and in truth" which the Father seeks. But wonder adds awe and reverence to that worship. And we have to ask how much of that there is in much popular worship today, be it in starchy hymns or rock music. <a href='B:130 16:9'>1Ch 16:9</a> makes the connection between wonder and worship quite plain: "Sing unto him, sing praises unto him; talk of all his wonders". Likewise <a href='B:230 9:1'>Psa 9:1</a>: "I will praise you O Lord; I will show forth all your wonders". </p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I will be glad and rejoice in You, I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The four lines in :1,2 each begin with Aleph, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet; a reminder we are reading Hebrew poetry set to music, for easy&nbsp; memorization by illiterate people. The singing of praise, however, was to be from the "whole heart" (:1), rather than the external appearance of praise which was common in religious thought at the time (cp. <a href='B:290 29:13'>Isa 29:13</a>). </p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish in Your presence-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David therefore felt God's presence with him in his victories. "Presence" is literally "face", and the idea seems to be that the rout of the Egyptians in <a href='B:20 14:24'>Exo 14:24</a> was repeatedly seen in David's experience of victories- a turning and fleeing at the revelation of God's face / presence.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For You have maintained my just cause-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Again we get the impression that David veers towards self righteousness, attributing his victories to his own rightness rather than God's grace / undeserved favour.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>You sit on the throne judging righteously-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Continually David expresses his understanding that judgment is ongoing right now, although there will come a future day when those judgments are articulated more visibly.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked, You have blotted out their name forever and ever-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This appears to be a prophetic perfect, David looking forward to the time when all nations would be gathered and judged (see on <a href='B:230 7:7-8'>Psa 7:7-8</a>). For the name of the wicked had not been blotted out eternally in David's time, and he later complains as to the continuing prosperity of the wicked in his own time.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The enemy is overtaken by endless ruin. The very memory of the cities which You have overthrown has perished-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As discussed on :5, the "endless ruin" of the wicked had not then occurred, and looks to the future. The overthrowing of cities alludes to that of Sodom and Gomorrah (<a href='B:10 19:25'>Gen 19:25</a>; <a href='B:10 19:29'>Gen 19:29</a>; <a href='B:300 20:16'>Jer 20:16</a>; <a href='B:300 50:40'>Jer 50:40</a>). David understood the day of judgment to be a visible, clear, miraculous Divine intervention- which didn't occur in his time.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>But Yahweh reigns forever, He has prepared His throne for judgment-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As explained on :5,6, David is not saying that the judgment has already come; God is actively judging right now (:4), but that is preparation for the future day of judgment. Appreciating this means that we live our lives before the judgment presence of God.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He will judge the world in righteousness, He will administer judgment to the peoples in uprightness-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This is quoted in <a href='B:510 17:31'>Act 17:31</a> concerning the final day of judgment at the Lord's return. David feels God's judgment is ongoing now (<a href='B:230 9:4'>Psa 9:4</a>), but that is preparation for the future day of judgment. Appreciating this means that we live our lives before the judgment presence of God.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh will also be a high tower for the oppressed; a high tower in times of trouble-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David sees that Yahweh will be a "high tower" or place of refuge at the day of future judgment (<a href='B:230 9:8-9'>Psa 9:8-9</a>, quoted about this in <a href='B:510 17:31'>Act 17:31</a>). But David feels God has been like this to him in this life (<a href='B:100 22:3'>2Sa 22:3</a>; <a href='B:230 18:2'>Psa 18:2</a>; <a href='B:230 46:7'>Psa 46:7</a>; <a href='B:230 48:3'>Psa 48:3</a>; <a href='B:230 59:9'>Psa 59:9</a>; <a href='B:230 59:16-17'>Psa 59:16-17</a>; <a href='B:230 62:2'>Psa 62:2</a>; <a href='B:230 94:22'>Psa 94:22</a>; <a href='B:230 144:2'>Psa 144:2</a>). He therefore sees a seamless experience in his relationship with God in this life, and at the future day of judgment. God saves us right now and is a refuge for us in countless life situations; and this is the guarantee that He will be likewise at the last day.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, Yahweh, have not forsaken those who seek You-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Faith or trust in God is inspired by knowing or experiencing ['knowing' in the Hebraic sense] the Name of Yahweh. This doesn't mean that knowing the spelling or pronunciation of that Name gives faith; rather, our experience of the characteristics of God's Name, His personality, inspires faith. And Biblical history, as well as our own personal history, is a knowing / experience of that Name.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Sing praises to Yahweh who dwells in Zion, and declare among the people what He has done-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The Psalms are full of reference to David's evangelical zeal to take the message of Yahweh, the God whose sanctuary was in Zion, to the Gentile nations. Israel were intended to be a missionary nation, bringing others around them to Zion and relationship with Yahweh. But David was one of the very few who grasped thIsa.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For He who avenges blood remembers them. He doesn’t forget the cry of the afflicted-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This sounds as if it may have been added, under inspiration, in the context of the exiles. For David had not personally been slain by Saul, nor, so far as we know, had his immediate family members. Perhaps the murder of Abiathar's family was initially in view (<a href='B:90 22:22'>1Sa 22:22</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Have mercy on me, Yahweh. See my affliction by those who hate me-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The same words are used when David thanks God for saving him from "those who hate me" (<a href='B:230 18:17'>Psa 18:17</a>; <a href='B:100 22:18'>2Sa 22:18</a>). That thanksgiving was because he had prayed for salvation from "those who hate me" in <a href='B:230 9:13'>Psa 9:13</a> (s:w:). We have here a direct example of gratitude for answered prayer.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>And lift me up from the gates of death-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David so often expresses the feeling that he is really about to die. Perhaps he struggled with some medical condition which made him often feel as if he were about to die from it. Or perhaps this is how close Saul got to slaying him, multiple times. Again this is an allusion to Job's feelings (<a href='B:220 38:17'>Job 38:17</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>that I may show forth all Your praise. In the gates of the daughter of Zion I will rejoice in Your salvation-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Morally disgraced in the eyes of all Israel and even the surrounding nations, not to mention his own family, David didn't have a leg to stand on when it came to telling other people how to live their lives. A lesser man than David would have resigned all connection with any kind of preaching. But throughout the Bathsheba psalms there is constant reference to David's desire to go and share the grace of God which he had experienced with others (Psalms 32 title; <a href='B:230 51:13'>Psa 51:13</a>). He titles them ‘maschil’- for instruction / teaching. “Have mercy upon me, O Lord:::that I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates” (<a href='B:230 9:13-14'>Psa 9:13-14</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The nations have sunk down in the pit that they made. In the net which they hid, their own foot is taken-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This again is true, but we note David's apparent lack of desire to offer repentance to his abusers; for the way of God is to save those who are in the holes dug by themselves. For we are all in that position. We wonder what nations David has in view; perhaps his words are purely prophetic.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh has made Himself known; He has executed judgment. The wicked is snared by the work of his own hands. Meditation. Selah-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As suggested on :15, this appears to be the prophetic perfect. But it could be that David has himself in view. For he feels that the snares of death were around him (<a href='B:230 18:5'>Psa 18:5</a>). Divine judgment is a making of Himself known; they articulate who He essentially Isa. People learn the knowledge of Him, His righteousness, through His judgments being in the earth (<a href='B:290 26:9'>Isa 26:9</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The wicked shall be turned back to Sheol, even all the nations that forget God-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>"Turned back" sounds like "the second death" (<a href='B:730 20:4'>Rev 20:4</a>). All die and go to Sheol, but those resurrected and condemned at the final judgment will be sent back there again. "The wicked" in David's experience are parallel with "the nations".</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The implication is that the final judgment will be when the poor receive their hope, an the needy are never again be forgotten. So this confirms that the situation here is that at the Lord's return.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Arise, Yahweh! Don’t let man prevail. Let the nations be judged in Your sight-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> This is a clear desire for the latter day of judgment. The sight or presence of God would be through the return of His Son the Lord Jesus.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Put them in fear, Yahweh, and let the nations know that they are only men. Selah-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The intention of judgment day is to reveal to men that they are only men. This was what Job had to learn through suffering when relatively innocent; he had to recognize his own humanity. The implication is that human sin is all about playing God and considering ourselves more than men, i:e. effectively playing God. This was the essence of Adam's sin, according to how it is interpreted in Philippians 2 - a grasping at equality with God, in a way in which even His Son refused to do.</p><h2></h2>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Why do You stand far off, Yahweh? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?<strong>- </strong></p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David starts off feeling like this, but by the end of the Psalm he is taking comfort in the fact that God is going to come near in judgment (:17,18). This doesn't have to mean that half way through the prayer, an answer came. Rather is this absolutely true to the experience of prayerful men. We begin prayer in desperation, but in the course of that prayer we are persuaded of God's action, and conclude the prayer in grateful peace with Him. The Psalm was perhaps reapplied to the feelings of the exiles, who along with Job, complained that God was apparently standing far off from them (<a href='B:290 45:15'>Isa 45:15</a>; <a href='B:220 23:9'>Job 23:9</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>In arrogance the wicked hunt down the weak. They are caught up in the schemes that they devise-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The language of hunting down suggests this Psalm was originally composed during Saul's wilderness persecution of David; see on :15. David continually accuses Saul of "arrogance" in the Psalms he wrote reflecting upon Saul's persecution of him; whereas Saul begins as an apparently humble man who doesn't feel worthy to be king, hiding himself to avoid being king (<a href='B:90 10:22'>1Sa 10:22</a>), and restraining himself when some mocked him as an inappropriate leader (<a href='B:90 10:27'>1Sa 10:27</a>). Saul's descent into apostasy was therefore primarily a descent into pride. Being called to do something for God so often makes men pride, when the invitation is intended to humble us; just as David's psalm of humility in Psalms 8 after killing of Goliath was a protestation of humility. "Who am I, to do this work for You?" ought to be our sense. However we will note on <a href='B:230 10:10'>Psa 10:10</a> that Saul had a false humility; so perhaps his initial humility was not genuine.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For the wicked boasts of his heart’s cravings; he blesses the greedy, and condemns Yahweh-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Saul's boasts are not recorded really in the historical records; but the Psalms are full of reference to them (see on :2). It's unlikely that Saul actually 'condemned Yahweh' in so many words. But we have an example here of how God reads human words and actions for what they in fact imply; see on :11. Saul's blessing of the greedy may refer to his blessing of the Ziphites for betraying David to him (<a href='B:90 23:21'>1Sa 23:21</a>). They were "greedy" in that they did so in hope of reward from Saul.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The wicked, in the pride of his face, has no room in his thoughts for God-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> All basic Bible doctrines are meshed together, not only by logic and theory and exposition, but by the fact that one aspect of the spiritual life which they elicit leads into another. The existence of God means that there will be a judgment, and therefore our lives must reflect the fact that we believe that we live under judgment. The wicked think: "He will not require it. All [their] thoughts are, There is no God" (<a href='B:230 10:4'>Psa 10:4</a> RV). They admit there is a God insofar that they think God will not "require" an account of their lives; and thus effectively they act as if they are atheists. Their inward self-talk is that "There is no God". Thus they say: “God has forgotten</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> He will never see." Why do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, “You will not require an account” (<a href='B:230 10:11'>Psa 10:11</a>; <a href='B:230 10:13'>Psa 10:13</a>). Note the parallel between their thinking "There is no God" (:4), and thinking that God will not "require" our thoughts and actions of us one day. To believe in God is to believe in His ultimate judgment of us. And thus it would be true that if there were no God, anything would be possible for us.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>His ways are prosperous at all times-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>LXX better reflects the ambiguous Hebrew: "His ways are profane at all times".</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He is proud, and Your laws are far from his sight. As for all his adversaries, he sneers at them-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Again, Saul is accused of pride in that he considered himself above Divine law, thereby condemning God (:3).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He says in his heart, I shall not be shaken. For generations I shall have no trouble-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>It was Saul's intention to found a dynasty, hence his anger with Jonathan for not wanting to be part of it, and instead supporting David as the next king. The civil war which followed Saul's death reflected his attempts to found a ruling dynasty.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and oppression; beneath his tongue is mischief and iniquity-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David is very critical of all his enemies, especially Saul. He sets up a contrast between the righteous and the unrighteous. But his attitude changed somewhat after his sin with Bathsheba, in connection with which he did much of what he accused Saul of, not least willfully exposing Uriah to an ambush so he would be murdered. Therefore <a href='B:520 3:14'>Rom 3:14</a> quotes this verse (from the LXX) and applies it to all men, the righteous included; leading to the conclusion that we are only made righteous by grace through faith.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He lies in wait near the villages. From ambushes, he murders the innocent, his eyes are secretly set against the helpless-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Robbers did not usually murder; so we are to imagine that David has specifically in view Saul's desire to ambush and murder David. "The innocent::. the helpless" is how David often describes himself in the Psalms. For "ambushes", see on :7.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He lurks in secret as a lion in his ambush. He lies in wait to catch the helpless. He catches the helpless, when he draws him in his net-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>AV has "the poor" for "helpless". As explained on :7, David's hard judgments against his enemies came home against him; for it was he who arranged the ambush and murder of "the poor" Uriah (<a href='B:100 12:1'>2Sa 12:1</a>). Therefore <a href='B:520 3:14'>Rom 3:14</a> quotes :7 LXX and alludes to this whole section- and applies it to all men, the righteous included; leading to the conclusion that we are only made righteous by grace through faith.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The helpless are crushed. They collapse. They fall under his strength-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>AV "He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall". The allusion is to a lion crouching before pouncing (:9). But the language used is that of crouching in humility; the idea is that a false humility was used to destroy others. I discussed on :2 the apparent humility of Saul when he began his reign; but this was perhaps the pride which apes humility. For we see such fake humility all around us.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He says in his heart, God has forgotten. He hides His face. He will never see it-</p>&nbsp;<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>It's unlikely that Saul actually 'condemned Yahweh' in so many words. But we have an example here of how God reads human words and actions for what they in fact imply; see on :3.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Arise, Yahweh! God, lift up Your hand! Don’t forget the helpless-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>There is a repeated Biblical theme that the believer's relationship with the Father too is essentially mutual. David lifts himself up to God (<a href='B:230 25:1'>Psa 25:1</a>; <a href='B:230 28:2'>Psa 28:2</a>; <a href='B:230 86:4'>Psa 86:4</a>), and asks God to lift up Himself in response (<a href='B:230 7:6'>Psa 7:6</a>; <a href='B:230 10:12'>Psa 10:12</a>; <a href='B:230 94:2'>Psa 94:2</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Why does the wicked person condemn God and say in his heart, God won’t call me into account?<strong>- </strong></p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The implication may be 'Why does the wicked do this and get away with it?'. And the answer of course was that he will not get away with it finally, because judgment day will come. See on :3,11. Like Job, during the course of his reflections, David leads himself to recognizing that judgment day will come, but it must be yet future. And he the more longs for that final "day of the Lord" when men like Saul shall be called to account for their internal mental attitudes, and will answer for what they have said in their hearts.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>But You do see trouble and grief. You consider it to take it into Your hand to deal with. You help the victim and the fatherless-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As discussed on :1, David in the course of this prayer persuades himself of the final truth- that there will indeed be a future day of judgment, and God is right now 'considering' or gathering evidence, seeing all the trouble and grief; and finally He will save the victims.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Break the arm of the wicked, as for the evil man, seek out his wickedness until You find none-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Whatever the primary reference of this Psalm, it is a reworking of David's feelings when persecuted by Saul and likewise on the run from him. For circumstances repeat in our lives, and it would be natural for David to reconsider Psalms written at the time of one exile and apply them to another, just as these Psalms were also used for others in their times of exile. "Wickedness" is the word used about Saul's persecution in <a href='B:90 24:13'>1Sa 24:13</a>. As Saul had 'sought out' David in persecuting him, so David asks God to seek out Saul. See on :2. Sin must be dealt with, and only in eternal death will it finally be sought for and not found- unless it is dealt with now by repentance and Divine covering. This is a powerful argument that the wages of sin is indeed death (<a href='B:520 6:23'>Rom 6:23</a>), rather than anything else, such as eternal punishment.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh is King forever and ever! The nations will perish out of His land-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David the king repeatedly calls God his "king". His exaltation didn't lead him to pride, as he was always under the deep impression that he was not the ultimate king (<a href='B:230 5:2'>Psa 5:2</a>; <a href='B:230 10:16'>Psa 10:16</a>; <a href='B:230 29:10'>Psa 29:10</a>; <a href='B:230 44:4'>Psa 44:4</a>; <a href='B:230 47:6'>Psa 47:6</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh, You have heard the desire of the humble. You will prepare their heart. You will cause Your ear to hear-</p>&nbsp;<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Often, “desire” is seen by God as prayer (<a href='B:230 10:17'>Psa 10:17</a>; <a href='B:230 21:2'>Psa 21:2</a>; <a href='B:230 27:4'>Psa 27:4</a>; <a href='B:230 59:10'>Psa 59:10</a>; <a href='B:230 92:11'>Psa 92:11</a>; <a href='B:230 140:8'>Psa 140:8</a>; <a href='B:230 145:19'>Psa 145:19</a>; <a href='B:470 18:32'>Mat 18:32</a>; <a href='B:520 10:1'>Rom 10:1</a>; <a href='B:690 5:15'>1Jn 5:15</a>). God interprets that inner desire as prayer, even if it is not articulated in specific requests:&nbsp; And His response is to "prepare their heart". This is evidence enough that God works directly upon the human heart and psychology, which He does today through the work of His Spirit upon the human spirit. For it is men who must prepare their heart in prayer and relationship toward God (s:w. <a href='B:140 12:14'>2Ch 12:14</a>; <a href='B:220 11:13'>Job 11:13</a>; <a href='B:230 7:9'>Psa 7:9</a>). But God can also do this for the humble. Hence David later asks God to create in him a 'prepared' heart (s:w. <a href='B:230 51:10'>Psa 51:10</a>). And God heard; for the same phrase is used of how God 'prepared' or (AV) "fixed" his heart (<a href='B:230 57:7'>Psa 57:7</a>; <a href='B:230 108:1'>Psa 108:1</a>; <a href='B:230 112:7'>Psa 112:7</a>). In allusion to this, Solomon was to later reflect that God can direct or 'prepare' (s:w:) the heart of man, even if he is thinking to direct his steps elsewhere (<a href='B:240 16:9'>Pro 16:9</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>to judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that man who is of the dust may terrify no more- </p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>In God’s judgment of men it will be made apparent that it was so inappropriate for man who is made of dust to oppress his fellows (<a href='B:230 10:18'>Psa 10:18</a> RV). Respect of others is sorely lacking in our selfish natures. But the more we reflect upon our own insignificance, as creatures of dust, the more we will see that abuse of others in any form is inappropriate. And we don’t have to wait till judgment day to perceive this- for we know the mortality and constitution of man from basic Bible teaching. This link between our mortality and humility is brought out in Paul’s description of our present state as being “the body of our humiliation” (Php_3:21 RV). Believing we are mortal ought to be a humbling thing.</p><h2></h2>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For the Chief Musician. By David. </p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>In Yahweh I take refuge-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The idea is that God was David's city of refuge. These cities were for those who needed to flee when being chased by the avenger of blood (<a href='B:40 35:26'>Num 35:26</a>). The imagery is very appropriate to David when fleeing from Saul and Absalom. David's constant meditation upon God's law would have included the sections about the cities of refuge; he realized that actually no such city was available for him, but the spirit of the law led him to reflect that Yahweh was his refuge, wherever he was. David tends to open wilderness Psalms with this reflection, just as we may tend to begin prayers with the same opening phrase and thoughts (<a href='B:230 7:1'>Psa 7:1</a>; <a href='B:230 11:1'>Psa 11:1</a>; <a href='B:230 16:1'>Psa 16:1</a>; <a href='B:230 31:1'>Psa 31:1</a>; <a href='B:230 57:1'>Psa 57:1</a>; <a href='B:230 71:1'>Psa 71:1</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>How can you say to my soul, Flee as a bird to Your mountain!<strong>- </strong></p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David likens himself to a bird whose only option is to flee (<a href='B:90 26:20'>1Sa 26:20</a>), and such birds lived in the mountains / hill country where David was driven (<a href='B:90 23:14'>1Sa 23:14</a>; <a href='B:90 26:1'>1Sa 26:1</a>). David was indeed going to flee- but to God, and not simply acting like a scared man who has to flee someplace else.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For, behold, the wicked bend their bows and set their arrows on the strings, that they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David is seeing himself and the righteous as Job, and he here continues that connection, seeing that Job is described likewise as "upright in heart" (<a href='B:220 1:8'>Job 1:8</a>; <a href='B:220 2:3'>Job 2:3</a>). David sees this as characteristic of all God's people (s:w. <a href='B:230 11:2'>Psa 11:2</a>; <a href='B:230 19:8'>Psa 19:8</a>; <a href='B:230 32:11'>Psa 32:11</a>; <a href='B:230 36:10'>Psa 36:10</a>; <a href='B:230 64:10'>Psa 64:10</a>; <a href='B:230 94:15'>Psa 94:15</a>; <a href='B:230 97:11'>Psa 97:11</a>). He sees the wicked as those who are not upright (<a href='B:230 14:3'>Psa 14:3</a>; <a href='B:230 51:1'>Psa 51:1</a>; <a href='B:230 51:3'>Psa 51:3</a>). But these words which David writes about the wicked are then reinterpreted as applying to all men, God's people included (<a href='B:520 3:12'>Rom 3:12</a>). Like Job, David had to be taught that actually he was failing to see the seriousness of sin; righteousness and acceptability with God is imputed to men by grace through faith, because actually there are none who are upright in heart, apart from God's representative son.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?<strong>- </strong></p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The GNB understands :1-3 as a quotation from the words said to David: "How foolish of you to say to me, "Fly away like a bird to the mountains,&nbsp;because the wicked have drawn their bows and aimed their arrows to shoot from the shadows at good people:&nbsp;There is nothing a good person can do when everything falls apart"". "Foundations" is literally 'what has been appointed or set'. David's enemies had been set under his feet (s:w. <a href='B:230 8:6'>Psa 8:6</a>; <a href='B:230 110:1'>Psa 110:1</a> and often in the Psalms). What God had appointed had not been destroyed, and could not be. So David was not going to respond to his distress in a secular way, but to flee to God, trusting He would maintain His own foundation purpose for David and the righteous. </p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh is in His holy temple. Yahweh is on His throne in heaven-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>In many verses in the Psalms, David expresses his understanding that God's temple is in Heaven (e:g. <a href='B:230 11:4'>Psa 11:4</a>); both David and Solomon recognized that God cannot be confined to a physical house, seeing that even the heavens cannot contain Him (<a href='B:140 6:18'>2Ch 6:18</a>). But David seems to depart from this understanding in his final obsession for building God a physical temple.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>His eyes observe, His eyes examine the children of men-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The idea is of squinting. This is how closely God was watching the entire situation between Saul and David, and therefore David didn't need to accept the secular advice of :1-3. See on :5.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh examines the righteous, but the wicked and him who loves violence His soul hates-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'><a href='B:230 11:4-5'>Psa 11:4-5</a> describes the scene in the court of Heaven: "The Lord's throne is in Heaven (mirrored by the Mighty Angel of Israel being enthroned over the Mercy Seat in the temple): His eyes (Angels) behold, His&nbsp; eyelids&nbsp; try, the children of men. The Lord trieth the righteous (who are in His presence by their Angel), but the wicked and him that loveth violence His soul hateth" (AV).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>On the wicked He will rain blazing coals; fire, sulphur, and scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This is the language of the judgment of Sodom. David expected a day to come when God would open intervene in human affairs after the pattern of how He had done at the time of Sodom; and the wicked amongst Israel would be destroyed at the same time as the world generally is judged. This would imply their resurrection to face that judgment.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For Yahweh is righteous, He loves righteousness. The upright shall see His face- </p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Again David takes comfort in the fact that although he must flee his enemies (see on :1), there will come a day of final judgment. And at that time, David would see God's face. He perhaps learned this from Job's conclusions in <a href='B:220 19:27'>Job 19:27</a> - remember that Job and the Pentateuch were likely the only extant scriptures at David's time. His idea of salvation was to see God's face; God again is presented as having literal, personal existence.</p><h2></h2>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For the Chief Musician; upon an eight-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>stringed lyre. A Psalm of David.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Help, Yahweh; for the Godly man is fading away, the faithful fail from among the children of men-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>"Him who is Godly" is a term he has used about himself in his marvel at God's grace to him at the time of the sin with Bathsheba, believing that his trust in God's grace and justification by that grace was to be the pattern for all who afterward would be "Godly" (<a href='B:230 32:6'>Psa 32:6</a>). Here he seems to lament that few were following in that path. It has perhaps always been a sense of the righteous that they are in a decreasing minority.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Everyone lies to his neighbour, they speak with flattering lips, and with a double heart-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David is very critical of all his enemies, especially Saul. He sets up a contrast between the righteous and the unrighteous. But his attitude changed somewhat after his sin with Bathsheba, in connection with which he did much of what he accused Saul of, not least willfully exposing Uriah to an ambush so he would be murdered. Therefore <a href='B:520 3:10-14'>Rom 3:10-14</a> alludes to Psalms 12 (from the LXX) and applies it to all men, the righteous included; leading to the conclusion that we are only made righteous by grace through faith.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>May Yahweh cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaks great things-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>These "flattering lips" may have been of false prophets, for the phrase is used in this connection elsewhere (<a href='B:290 30:10'>Isa 30:10</a>). Probably Saul had false prophets who assured him that he was in fact doing the right things. For kings of those times usually had their entourage of such prophets. See on :8.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>who have said, With our tongue we will prevail. Our lips are our own, who is lord over us?<strong>- </strong></p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This great confidence in their words may be because they were false prophets, claiming they were inspired by God; see on :3. One unusual, indeed unique, claim of Yahweh upon men was that their words and thoughts were culpable. Other gods focused upon external behaviours and ritualism. Just as the false gods of our age do likewise. <a href='B:350 14:2'>Hos 14:2</a> speaks of our lips being offered as calves of sacrifice to our God. Our words are so critically important, and they will influence our eternal destiny (<a href='B:470 12:37'>Mat 12:37</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Because of the oppression of the weak and because of the groaning of the needy, I will now arise, says Yahweh; I will set him in safety from those who malign him-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David's prayer of :1-4 now appears to be interrupted by God's word directly to him, assuring David that He is going to arise in judgment.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The words of Yahweh are flawless words, as silver refined in a clay furnace, purified seven times-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I suggested on :5 that David has been praying in :1-4 and then in :5 God speaks directly to him, giving him a prophetic word assuring him of vindication. And now in the rest of the prayer (:6-8), David rejoices in those words of :5, although his comment upon the nature of God's words is also globally true. "Flawless" is the usual word for "pure". Yahweh's words are being contrasted with the impure words of the wicked, which have been the burden of David's complaint so far.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>You will keep them, Yahweh. You will preserve them from this generation forever-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David appears to see the righteous in Israel at his time as a minority, persecuted by "this generation", society as a whole at the time.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The wicked walk on every side, when what is vile is exalted among the sons of men- </p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>"Vile" is a word usually associated with idolatry, the pervasive weakness of Israel in every generation. It would seem that the false prophets of Saul (see on :3) were also associated with idolatry, and this was behind their persecution of Samuel and David. See on <a href='B:230 16:4'>Psa 16:4</a>.</p><h2></h2>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>How long, Yahweh? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?<strong>- </strong></p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>By the end of the Psalm, David is rejoicing (:5,6). This doesn't have to mean that half way through the prayer, an answer came. Rather is this absolutely true to the experience of prayerful men. We begin prayer in desperation, but in the course of that prayer we are persuaded of God's action, and conclude the prayer in grateful peace with Him. "How long?" is the cry of the exiles, so the Psalm was likely reused in their context. </p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart every day? How long shall my enemy triumph over me?<strong>- </strong></p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>"My enemy" is clearly Saul (<a href='B:90 18:29'>1Sa 18:29</a>; <a href='B:90 19:17'>1Sa 19:17</a>). The David who had once triumphed over his enemy Goliath now felt that Saul was triumphing over him. This, in the bigger Divine picture, may have been to keep David from pride at the amazing victory and triumph. David was indeed to triumph / be exalted over Saul (<a href='B:230 18:48'>Psa 18:48</a>), but he saw it is God triumphing / being exalted (<a href='B:230 18:46'>Psa 18:46</a>). His praise Psalms are full of this word and idea- of the exaltation of God (<a href='B:230 57:5'>Psa 57:5</a>; <a href='B:230 57:11'>Psa 57:11</a>) and not himself.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Look, and answer me, Yahweh my God. Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David was persuaded that he would one day be slain by Saul (<a href='B:90 27:1'>1Sa 27:1</a>), yet here in <a href='B:230 13:3'>Psa 13:3</a> and often in the Psalms he persuades himself, in the course of the same prayer, that in fact God will save him and keep His promise to make him king in Saul's place.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>lest my enemy say, I have prevailed against him; lest my adversaries rejoice when I fall-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Typical of the shame-based mentality in which he lived, David seems to fear more than death the thought that his enemies would rejoice over his dead body. Saul sought to "prevail against him" (<a href='B:230 13:4'>Psa 13:4</a>), but Saul used the same word in telling David (in a rare moment of reality and humility) that he knew that David would prevail against him (<a href='B:90 26:25'>1Sa 26:25</a>). Those flash moments of reality and humility which Saul had are to be our warning. The Psalms condemn him as generally proud. We must live life in a spirit of humility, rather than just experiencing a few flash moments of it.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>But I trust in Your grace. My heart rejoices in Your salvation-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As explained on :1, David rallies himself t the joy which comes from faith in grace. Perhaps there was a significant gap in his prayer between verses 4 and 5.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I will sing to Yahweh, because He has been good to me- </p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Like us, our faith that God will finally come through for us in the future should give us joy now. This faith in God finally 'being good' to David led him to be the same to Saul- the word is used of how David was 'good' rather than evil to Saul, not slaying him when he had the opportunity (<a href='B:90 24:17'>1Sa 24:17</a>).</p><h2></h2>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For the Chief Musician. By David-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>A comparison of Psalms 14, 53 illustrate the process of re-writing at Hezekiah's time. These Psalms are both "A Psalm of David", and are virtually identical apart from <a href='B:230 53:5'>Psa 53:5</a> adding: "There were they in great fear, where no fear was; For God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: Thou hast put them to shame, because God hath rejected them". This surely alludes to the Assyrian army encamped against Jerusalem (<a href='B:140 32:1'>2Ch 32:1</a>), put into fear by the Angels, and returning "with shame of face to his own land" (<a href='B:140 32:21'>2Ch 32:21</a>). Yet both Psalms conclude with a verse which connects with the exiles in Babylonian captivity: "Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Then shall Jacob rejoice, and Israel shall be glad". So it would appear that the initial Psalm was indeed written by David; the version of Psalms 14 which is now Psalms 53 was added to and adapted in Hezekiah's time (<a href='B:240 25:1'>Pro 25:1</a>), and both versions had a final verse added to them during the exile.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The fool has said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt. They have done abominable works. There is none who does good-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>It should be noted that <a href='B:520 3:13-18'>Rom 3:13-18</a> are quoting from the Septuagint of Psalms 14 - but those verses aren’t found in the Hebrew text. Time and again the inspired New Testament writers quote from the LXX rather than the Hebrew Masoretic text, often preferring the LXX over the MT, and in this case accepting the LXX addition of verses which the MT omits. It’s hard to gauge the wider significance of thIsa. The LXX versions of the genealogies in Genesis would, e:g:, not support the contention that the Genesis 1 creation occurred 4000 years before the birth of Christ. The quotation in <a href='B:520 3:10'>Rom 3:10</a> from <a href='B:230 14:1-3'>Psa 14:1-3</a>; <a href='B:230 53:1-3'>Psa 53:1-3</a> is about the fools who say in their heart that there is no God. Yet Paul applies this to every one of us, himself included. What he’s doing here is similar to what he does at the end of Romans 1 - he speaks of the grossest sins such as lesbianism and reasons that we are all in essence guilty and condemned as serious sinners before God. Here he quotes passages which speak of effective atheism and applies them to us all, himself included- even though atheism was abhorrent to the Jews, and Paul may have seemed the last person to be an atheist. But the ‘atheism’ of <a href='B:230 14:1'>Psa 14:1</a> occurs within the psychological thought processes of the human mind- the fool says in his heart that there is no God. In the context of Romans, Paul is arguing that we call God a liar when we disbelieve His offer of justification and salvation. To deny this is to effectively say in our hearts that there is no God. If God is, then He is a Saviour God. To deny that He will save me is effectively to say He doesn’t exist; for a God who won’t save me may as well not exist. Far too many people claim some level of belief in God’s existence, but in their hearts deny Him, in that they personally doubt whether His promised salvation is really true for me.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh looked down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there were any who understood, who sought after God-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David felt that no one else understood (<a href='B:230 14:2'>Psa 14:2</a>, a wilderness psalm) or was really seeking towards God as he was doing (<a href='B:230 27:4'>Psa 27:4</a>; <a href='B:230 27:8'>Psa 27:8</a>). The Hebrew for "understand" here is that translated "wise" concerning David in 1 Samuel 18:&nbsp;But there appears an allusion to God's coming down to view Sodom and investigate, as it were, whether they had done according to the cry which came to Him. David was expecting God's intervention in judgment to be similar to that of His judgment upon Sodom- through direct, supernatural involvement. Effectively, David was looking ahead to the day of final judgment at the Lord's return.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>They have all gone aside. They have together become corrupt. There is none who does good, no, not one-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David is very critical of all his enemies, especially Saul. He sets up a contrast between the righteous and the unrighteous. But his attitude changed somewhat after his sin with Bathsheba, in connection with which he did much of what he accused Saul of, not least willfully exposing Uriah to an ambush so he would be murdered. Therefore <a href='B:520 3:10-14'>Rom 3:10-14</a> alludes to Psalms 14 (from the LXX) and applies it to all men, the righteous included; leading to the conclusion that we are only made righteous by grace through faith.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David often describes himself as "upright in heart" just as Job was (s:w. <a href='B:220 1:8'>Job 1:8</a>; <a href='B:220 2:3'>Job 2:3</a>). David sees this as characteristic of all God's people (s:w. <a href='B:230 11:2'>Psa 11:2</a>; <a href='B:230 19:8'>Psa 19:8</a>; <a href='B:230 32:11'>Psa 32:11</a>; <a href='B:230 36:10'>Psa 36:10</a>; <a href='B:230 64:10'>Psa 64:10</a>; <a href='B:230 94:15'>Psa 94:15</a>; <a href='B:230 97:11'>Psa 97:11</a>). But he sees the wicked as those who are not upright (<a href='B:230 14:3'>Psa 14:3</a>; <a href='B:230 51:1'>Psa 51:1</a>; <a href='B:230 51:3'>Psa 51:3</a>). But these words which David writes about the wicked are then reinterpreted as applying to all men, God's people included (<a href='B:520 3:12'>Rom 3:12</a>). Like Job, David had to be taught that actually he was failing to see the seriousness of sin; righteousness and acceptability with God is imputed to men by grace through faith, because actually there are none who are upright in heart, apart from God's representative son.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and don’t call on Yahweh?<strong>- </strong></p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>"Knowledge" is used here in the Hebraic sense of relationship. The sinners had no relationship with God; the idea is not so much that they had the wrong theological knowledge of God, but rather that they lacked relationship with Him, what the New Testament would simply call "the Spirit". The eating up of "my people", Israel, could refer to the eating up / devouring of the men of Saul during the civil war (<a href='B:100 18:8'>2Sa 18:8</a>). Yet David is mature enough to see Saul's men as all the same "my people", members of the same people of God.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>There they were in great fear because God is in the generation of the righteous-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The Hebrew is difficult, and may be David looking ahead to the final day of justice: "But then they will be terrified, for God is with those who obey him" (GNB).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>You frustrate the plan of the poor, because Yahweh is his refuge-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Or, "but the LORD is their protection" (GNB). In this case we see that we "the poor" do have our plans frustrated by bullies and those more powerful than us, in whatever sense. But Yahweh is our refuge, not unaware of the situations, and we shall be finally justified and saved by grace.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Oh that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! </p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>When Yahweh restores the fortunes of His people, then Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad- Many NT passages mix a number of OT passages in one 'quotation'; e:g. " The deliverer will come from Zion" (<a href='B:520 11:26'>Rom 11:26</a>) is a conflated quotation of <a href='B:230 14:7'>Psa 14:7</a>; <a href='B:230 53:6'>Psa 53:6</a> and <a href='B:290 59:20'>Isa 59:20</a>. And <a href='B:650 13:5'>Heb 13:5</a> combines quotes from <a href='B:10 28:15'>Gen 28:15</a>; <a href='B:60 1:5'>Jos 1:5</a> and <a href='B:50 31:16'>Deu 31:16</a>. <a href='B:650 13:5'>Heb 13:5</a> doesn’t quote any of them exactly, but mixes them together. This Psalm which was clearly David's originally is now reapplied, under inspiration, to the desire for the exiles' fortunes to be revived.</p><h2></h2>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>A Psalm of David.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh, who shall dwell in Your sanctuary? Who shall live on Your holy hill?<strong>- </strong></p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Perhaps this was written before David took the hill of Zion from the Jebusites. He felt they shouldn't be living there because of how they lived so immorally; and was eager to make it his own inheritance by conquest. And it seems from <a href='B:230 16:5-6'>Psa 16:5-6</a> that David considered Zion his personal inheritance where he was to live (see on <a href='B:230 17:14'>Psa 17:14</a>). The priests didn't live in the sanctuary, indeed the High Priest could only enter the most holy place briefly once / year. David seems to have had insight into the fact that ultimately that most holy place would be opened and the "blameless" (:2) would be able to not only enter it but live there permanently. These are the very ideas developed in Hebrews, developing the implications of how the Lord had torn down the veil through His death- that we might enter in and dwell there in God's presence and fellowship.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He who walks blamelessly, does what is right-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> We wonder at David's possible arrogance in assuming that he or any man can walk blamelessly. Only the Lord Jesus fits thIsa. And yet this is the phrase used in God's command to Abraham and his seed (<a href='B:10 17:1'>Gen 17:1</a>). It was only possible for Abraham to do so by his faith in imputed righteousness, by grace through faith. But it's questionable as to whether David at this point realized that; he had to learn it through reflection upon the wonder of how God had counted him righteous after the sin with Bathsheba.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>And speaks truth in his heart-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David is to be commended for so often perceiving the importance of internal spiritual mindedness, at a time when religion was perceived merely as ritualism and externalities. It is part of being human that we speak to ourselves, and often our self talk can be fantasy / imagination about things which are not true. But this will lead to doing what is not right, David reasons. To speak the truth in our hearts all the time is perhaps the litmus test of our spiritual mindedness. See on <a href='B:230 16:2'>Psa 16:2</a>.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>he who doesn’t slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his friend, nor casts slurs against his fellow man-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This&nbsp; offers commentary upon gossip in relation to our “neighbour”: “He that::. speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor receiveth / endureth a reproach against his neighbour” (<a href='B:230 15:2-3'>Psa 15:2-3</a> AVmg:). To gossip / backbite is paralleled with receiving gossip. To listen to it and accept it is as bad as to create it in the first place. The antidote is to have a mind that thinks of those things which “are true::. lovely::. of good report”. We live in a world of conscious untruth and half truth. In our unshareable self, our inner thoughts and musings, let us seek to have only that which is true passing through our meditations. And then we will not want to receive a gossip against our brother, indeed by implication we will not ‘endure’ it, we will tell the gossiper to cease, and certainly not act upon it:&nbsp;</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>in whose eyes a vile man is despised, but who respects those who fear Yahweh-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>But God doesn't despise any (<a href='B:220 36:5'>Job 36:5</a>). Throughout David’s Psalms in Psalms 1-72, he repeatedly asks for torture upon the sinners and blessing upon himself as the righteous. He speaks of how sinners should be “despised” in the eyes of the righteous (<a href='B:230 15:4'>Psa 15:4</a>), the gatherings of sinners should be “hated” and sinners should not be fellowshipped (<a href='B:230 26:4-6'>Psa 26:4-6</a>; <a href='B:230 31:6'>Psa 31:6</a>) and how God’s uprightness is shown to the upright and His judgment to the judgmental (<a href='B:230 18:25-26'>Psa 18:25-26</a>; <a href='B:230 33:22'>Psa 33:22</a>). He invites God’s judgment upon himself and others according to their and his works (<a href='B:230 28:4'>Psa 28:4</a>):&nbsp; Frequently he alludes to Saul as “the violent man”- even though David committed his share of violence- and asks judgment upon him (<a href='B:230 18:48'>Psa 18:48</a>). Only those with clean hands and pure heart like himself could have fellowship with God (<a href='B:230 24:3-4'>Psa 24:3-4</a>). Psalms 37 doesn’t indicate any desire to convert the sinners but rather an expectation of their judgment and destruction. God and David laugh at the wicked because their day is coming (<a href='B:230 37:13'>Psa 37:13</a>). There’s no spirit of grace here at all- perhaps that’s why <a href='B:450 12:10'>Zec 12:10</a> specifically says that the spirit of grace will have to be poured out upon the house of David in the last days. This attitude changed after the sin with Bathsheba, but still something of the old self righteousness and judgmental attitudes are to be found in David in Psalms written after that.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and doesn’t change-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'><a href='B:230 15:4'>Psa 15:4</a>, in evident allusion to Jephthah, describes those who will attain the Kingdom as fearing Yahweh, and swearing to their own hurt and changing not. Some may swear and change and attain the Kingdom; but we are invited to follow Jephthah to the highest level. The principle of Jephthah's vow is seen in many other Bible characters.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>he who doesn’t lend out his money for usury, nor take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be shaken- This appears to be commentary upon the state of affairs under Saul's kingship; and therefore his kingdom and dynasty was "shaken" and removed.</p><h2></h2>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>A Poem by David. </p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Preserve me, God, for in You do I take refuge-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The idea is that God was David's city of refuge. These cities were for those who needed to flee when being chased by the avenger of blood (<a href='B:40 35:26'>Num 35:26</a>). The imagery is very appropriate to David when fleeing from Saul and Absalom. David's constant meditation upon God's law would have included the sections about the cities of refuge; he realized that actually no such city was available for him, but the spirit of the law led him to reflect that Yahweh was his refuge, wherever he was. David tends to open wilderness Psalms with this reflection, just as we may tend to begin prayers with the same opening phrase and thoughts (<a href='B:230 7:1'>Psa 7:1</a>; <a href='B:230 11:1'>Psa 11:1</a>; <a href='B:230 16:1'>Psa 16:1</a>; <a href='B:230 31:1'>Psa 31:1</a>; <a href='B:230 57:1'>Psa 57:1</a>; <a href='B:230 71:1'>Psa 71:1</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>My soul, you have said to Yahweh, You are my Lord. Apart from You I have no good thing-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David's addressing of his own "soul" or person is what we might call self talk. David is to be commended for so often perceiving the importance of internal spiritual mindedness, at a time when religion was perceived merely as ritualism and externalities. It is part of being human that we speak to ourselves, and often our self talk can be fantasy / imagination about things which are not true. But this will lead to doing what is not right, David reasons in <a href='B:230 15:2'>Psa 15:2</a>. To speak the truth in our hearts all the time is perhaps the litmus test of our spiritual mindedness. See on :7; <a href='B:230 15:2'>Psa 15:2</a>. The truth in David's heart was that God alone was his Lord, and he had nothing apart from Him.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As for the saints who are in the earth, they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David on the run from Saul was aware that there were others in the earth / land who were faithful, and Samuel was obviously one of them. "Excellent ones" is the usual term for nobles or rulers. And so it happened; those who took David's side in the wilderness years were the ones exalted to office in David's kingdom.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Their sorrows shall be multiplied who give gifts to another god-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This is further evidence that idolatry was being practiced at David's time (see on <a href='B:230 12:8'>Psa 12:8</a>; <a href='B:230 18:31'>Psa 18:31</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, nor take their names on my lips-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David knew God well enough to act like the High Priest even when he was not a Levite (<a href='B:100 6:13-20'>2Sa 6:13-20</a>; and <a href='B:100 19:21'>2Sa 19:21</a> = <a href='B:20 22:28'>Exo 22:28</a>), he came to understand that God did not require sacrifices, he came to see that the Law was only a means to an end. David’s sons, although not Levites, were “priests” (<a href='B:100 8:18'>2Sa 8:18</a> RV). He could say that the Lord was his inheritance [a reference to how he as the youngest son had lost his?], and how he refuses to offer the sacrifices of wicked men for them (<a href='B:230 16:4-5'>Psa 16:4-5</a>; <a href='B:230 119:57'>Psa 119:57</a>)- speaking as if he was a Levite, a priest, when he was not</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh assigned my portion and my cup, you made my inheritance secure-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The allusion is to the promise to Aaron and the Levites: "I am thy part ["portion"] and thine inheritance among the children of Israel" (<a href='B:40 18:20'>Num 18:20</a>). It follow straight on from David's reference (noted on :4) to how he acted as a priest, although from Judah. David is presenting himself as a king-priest, after the order of Melchizedek (<a href='B:230 110:4'>Psa 110:4</a>). This is developed in the New Testament, presenting him as a type of the Lord Jesus in this respect. And the following verses in this Psalm are therefore applied to the Lord in the New Testament.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; truly I have a good inheritance-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I noted on <a href='B:230 15:1'>Psa 15:1</a> that "Yahweh, who shall dwell in Your sanctuary? Who shall live on Your holy hill?" was written before David took the hill of Zion from the Jebusites. He felt they shouldn't be living there because of how they lived so immorally, and was eager to make it his own inheritance by conquest; and it seems from <a href='B:230 16:5-6'>Psa 16:5-6</a> that David considered Zion his personal inheritance where he was to live. "The lines" refer to inheritance markers, and he considered Zion his great joy (<a href='B:230 137:6'>Psa 137:6</a>), the ultimately pleasant place (<a href='B:230 48:2'>Psa 48:2</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>There is a repeated Biblical theme that the believer's relationship with the Father too is essentially mutual. We are God's portion / inheritance (<a href='B:50 4:20'>Deu 4:20</a>; <a href='B:50 9:29'>Deu 9:29</a>; <a href='B:560 1:18'>Eph 1:18</a>), and He is our inheritance (<a href='B:230 16:5-6'>Psa 16:5-6</a>; <a href='B:230 73:26'>Psa 73:26</a>; <a href='B:310 3:22-24'>Lam 3:22-24</a>; <a href='B:560 1:11'>Eph 1:11</a> RV); we inherit each other.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I will bless Yahweh, who has given me counsel. Yes, my heart instructs me in the night seasons-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The parallelism seems to suggest that David's heart and Yahweh's counsel were the same thing. Perhaps the idea is that the self talk of the spiritually minded person becomes effectively God advising them. See on :2.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I have set Yahweh always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The context is of David's desire to take the hill of Zion from the Jebusites, and for it to become his by conquest. He was confident he could do this in God's strength, and by saying "I shall not be moved" he identifies himself with Zion which "shall not be moved" (<a href='B:230 46:5'>Psa 46:5</a>). And indeed God came through for David. Because he put Yahweh "always before me", he was given mount Zion and established his kingdom there. This verse is then quoted about the Lord Jesus- who likewise shall establish His Kingdom upon David's throne in Zion (<a href='B:490 1:34-35'>Luk 1:34-35</a>) because of His trust in Yahweh.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The Lord Jesus so struggled against sin, He so groaned beneath the mental weight of our sins, that it was as if&nbsp; He had been through everything David went through emotionally and spiritually. The main reason why there is so much deep personal detail about David is because we are intended to come to know him as a person, to enter into His mind- so that we can have a clearer picture of the mind and personality of the Lord Jesus. Likewise the book of Genesis covers about 2000 years of history, but almost a quarter of the narrative concerns Joseph; surely because we are intended to enter into Joseph, and thereby into the mind of Christ. This is why the thoughts of David in <a href='B:230 16:8-11'>Psa 16:8-11</a> are quoted as being the very thoughts of the Lord Jesus (<a href='B:510 2:27'>Act 2:27</a>). David's ultimate success in taking the hill of Zion and establishing his Kingdom there was because God foresaw His own work through the Lord Jesus. And so Peter suggests that David appreciated this, and that his trust in Yahweh was in fact his trust in the future Messianic figure who would one day rule upon his throne, and be the basis of his salvation. And so Peter says that so Christ-centered was David's mind that he "foresaw (not "saw" - disproof of the pre-existence) the Lord (Jesus) always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved" (<a href='B:510 2:25'>Act 2:25</a>). David was obsessed, mentally dominated, by his imagination of Christ, so much so that his imagination of his future descendant gave him practical strength in the trials of daily life. Small wonder we are bidden know and enter into David's mind.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices. My body shall also lay to rest in hope-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David was singing this Psalm ["my tongue rejoices"] because he believed that even if he didn't permanently inherit Zion in his lifetime, he would be resurrected to receive it, and to see his Davidic throne eternally established there; see on :5,6. It is therefore absolutely appropriate that these words are applied to the Lord Jesus.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, neither will You allow Your holy one to see corruption-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The Greek word translated "leave" or "forsaken" occurs in <a href='B:510 2:27'>Act 2:27</a>, where Peter quotes from Psalms 16 concerning how Christ was always aware of His own righteousness, and therefore confidently knew that God would not "leave (forsake) his soul in hell". In <a href='B:230 22:1'>Psa 22:1</a>, our Lord was doubting these previous thoughts, as expressed here in <a href='B:230 16:10'>Psa 16:10</a>. He then feared that God had forsaken / left Him, when previously He had been full of confidence that God would not do so, on account of His perfect character. Because Christ felt such a sinner deep within Him, He even doubted if He really was the Messiah. This is how deeply, our Lord was our representative, this is how thoroughly He bare our own sins in His own body on the tree, this is how deeply He came to know us, to be able to exactly empathize with us in our spiritual weakness; this was how He became able to have a fellow feeling with those who are out of the way, who have lost the faith, "for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity" (<a href='B:650 5:2'>Heb 5:2</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>You will show me the path of life. In Your presence is fullness of joy, in Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "For the joy that was set before him" Christ endured the cross (<a href='B:650 12:2'>Heb 12:2</a>). "Set before" can imply a vision, as if Christ saw something in front of Him as He hung on the cross. The spirit of Christ in <a href='B:230 16:11'>Psa 16:11</a> describes Christ looking forward to fullness of joy in God's Heavenly presence, because "at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore". Christ is now at God's right hand interceding for us. Therefore one aspect of the joy set before Christ in vision as He hung on the cross was the joy of His future mediation for our sins, as we repent of them and confess them in prayer.</p><h2></h2>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>A Prayer by David.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Hear, Yahweh, my righteous plea; give ear to my prayer, that doesn’t go out of deceitful lips-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David has elsewhere lamented the deceitful lips of his opponents, and he comes over as being convinced of his own righteousness, often comparing himself with them, even when he is in God's presence.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Let my sentence come forth from Your presence, let Your eyes look on integrity-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David imagines the heavenly throne room sitting right now in judgment upon him, and a favourable sentence coming forth in response to his prayer (as in <a href='B:230 9:4'>Psa 9:4</a>; <a href='B:230 9:7'>Psa 9:7</a> and often). He therefore saw prayer as a foretaste of judgment to come. The New Testament does likewise, speaking of our "boldness" in prayer now (<a href='B:650 4:16'>Heb 4:16</a>; <a href='B:650 10:19'>Heb 10:19</a>) and also our boldness in the day of judgment (<a href='B:690 4:17'>1Jn 4:17</a>). The request for the sentence to come forth suggests David hadn't yet received the answer to his prayer, but was very confident of receiving it (:6).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>You have proved my heart. You have visited me in the night. You have tried me, and found nothing. I have resolved that my mouth shall not disobey-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The sensitivity of God to sin is far higher than we would think. He even notices "the eye that mocketh at his father" (<a href='B:240 30:17'>Pro 30:17</a>); even body language is analyzed by Him, as are our unconscious thoughts as we sleep (<a href='B:230 17:3'>Psa 17:3</a>). But David seems rather over confident of his total purity, for no human heart can be tested by God and 'nothing found' wrong. It was a case of false accusation leading David to assume his total perfection, the same mistake Job made. The Bathsheba experience was used by God to help David quit this attitude. But we can also note that the Saul experience led David to self examination. Reading through the book of Psalms in one or two sittings reveals that frequent and intense self-examination was a leading characteristic of David:, especially while on the run from Saul; as if he began to pick up false guilt from how he was being treated, wondering if it was all in fact justified (<a href='B:230 4:4'>Psa 4:4</a>; <a href='B:230 7:3'>Psa 7:3</a>; <a href='B:230 17:3'>Psa 17:3</a>; <a href='B:230 18:20-24'>Psa 18:20-24</a>; <a href='B:230 19:12'>Psa 19:12</a>; <a href='B:230 26:1'>Psa 26:1</a>; <a href='B:230 39:1'>Psa 39:1</a>; <a href='B:230 59:3'>Psa 59:3</a>; <a href='B:230 66:18'>Psa 66:18</a>; <a href='B:230 77:6'>Psa 77:6</a>; <a href='B:230 86:2'>Psa 86:2</a>; <a href='B:230 101:2'>Psa 101:2</a>; <a href='B:230 109:3'>Psa 109:3</a>; <a href='B:230 139:23-24'>Psa 139:23-24</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As for the works of men, by the word of Your lips I have kept myself from the ways of the violent-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This could be a reference to how the sons of Zeruiah urged David to slay Saul when he had the chance. But he refused, because he believed Samuel's prophetic word that he would finally be king as being words which dropped from God's liPsa. This was how deeply he understood Divine inspiration, and it motivated him to obedience.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>My steps have held fast to Your paths, my feet have not slipped-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David in his earlier Psalms exalts and boasts to God that his feet have not slipped, indeed he was overly confident that his feet would never slip / "be moved" (<a href='B:230 17:5'>Psa 17:5</a>; <a href='B:230 21:7'>Psa 21:7</a>; <a href='B:230 55:22'>Psa 55:22</a>; <a href='B:230 62:2'>Psa 62:2</a>; <a href='B:230 62:6'>Psa 62:6</a>; <a href='B:230 125:1'>Psa 125:1</a>). His more mature reflection is that he had wrongly said "I shall never slip [AV "be moved"]" (<a href='B:230 30:6'>Psa 30:6</a>), and his feet had indeed slipped, not least over the Bathsheba incident (<a href='B:230 38:16'>Psa 38:16</a>; <a href='B:230 94:18'>Psa 94:18</a>). Solomon didn't learn this lesson, for he likewise assumed that the righteous would never be moved / slip (<a href='B:240 10:30'>Pro 10:30</a>), although he appears to accept that even a righteous man like his father had indeed slipped (<a href='B:240 25:26'>Pro 25:26</a>). And Solomon himself did so, not learning the lesson from his father's mistaken assumption that the righteous can never slip.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I have called on You, for You will answer me, God. Turn Your ear to me, hear my words-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As noted on :2, David hadn't yet received the answer to his prayer; but he is absolutely confident of the answer. But we note that he parallels the "answer" with God 'hearing my words'. The answer is in the hearing, although the answer may not be as we imagine.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Show Your marvellous grace, You who save those who take refuge under Your right hand from their enemies-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Although David seems to insist God answer him because of his own self-perceived righteousness (:2,3), he does here recognize that the answer would be by God's grace alone. And this is so true to human spiritual experience; we can within moments, within the same prayer, recognize that all is of grace; whilst also asserting our own self righteousness. Being at God's right hand suggests David felt he was before God's throne; the immediate reference is to the ark of the covenant. See on :8.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Keep me as the apple of Your eye, hide me under the shadow of Your wings-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This is an appeal for God to treat him as He treated His true Israel (<a href='B:50 32:10'>Deu 32:10</a>). The shadow of God's wings alludes to the mercy seat, upon which the blood of atonement was sprinkled, overshadowed by the cherubic wings. David saw himself as being right there. This was the throne of God, as it were, where David felt he was safe. See on :7; <a href='B:230 18:28'>Psa 18:28</a>.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>We are the apple of God’s eye (<a href='B:230 17:8'>Psa 17:8</a>; <a href='B:50 32:10'>Deu 32:10</a>), and His word must be as the apple of our eye (<a href='B:240 7:2'>Pro 7:2</a>). We dwell in God, and His word dwells in us (<a href='B:500 15:7'>Joh 15:7</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>from the wicked who oppress me, my deadly enemies, who surround me-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>These enemies were "deadly" in that they wished his death. Saul and his supporters are in view. But the word for "oppress" is often used of Judah's Babylonian and Assyrian enemies who surrounded Jerusalem (e:g. <a href='B:300 4:20'>Jer 4:20</a>; <a href='B:300 4:30'>Jer 4:30</a>), especially in the surrounding of Jerusalem in Hezekiah's time. Again we see a Psalm of David reused, under inspiration, in later history.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>They close up their callous hearts. With their mouth they speak proudly-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This would have special relevance to the proud boasts of Rabshakeh outside the surrounded Jerusalem (see on :9).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>They have now surrounded us in our steps, they set their eyes to cast us down to the earth-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Again, the language of surrounding is very relevant to the Assyrian lion (:12) surrounding Jerusalem.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He is like a lion that is greedy of his prey, as it were a young lion lurking in secret places-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As explained on :9-11, this has been reapplied to the lions of Judah's subsequent invaders and abusers, Assyria and Babylon.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Arise, Yahweh, confront him. Cast him down. Deliver my soul from the wicked by Your sword-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This is the language of the casting down of the kings of Babylon and Assyria. David's personal salvation from Saul was to be seen as the guarantee that if Judah were likewise faithful, their enemies would also be thrown down.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>from men by Your hand, Yahweh, from men of the world, whose portion is in this life-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> David's portion or inheritance he expected to be a kingdom in his own personal inheritance of mount Zion (see on <a href='B:230 15:1'>Psa 15:1</a>; <a href='B:230 16:5-6'>Psa 16:5-6</a>). He had hoped to receive this fully at the resurrection (<a href='B:230 16:8-10'>Psa 16:8-10</a>), whereas the inheritance or portion of Saul and his men would be only "in this life".</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>You fill the belly of Your cherished ones. Your sons have plenty, and they store up wealth for their children-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Here David sounds like Job, whose story he was evidently familiar with and identified with. The wicked prosper, for now- and that is evidence that a future day of judgment and eternal justice is yet to come. Although married, David’s family life was a source of grief to him. He comments that the men of the world “are satisfied with children” (AV), but for him, the only satisfaction would be when he resurrected to behold God’s face and to be turned into that same image: “As for me, I shall behold thy face</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness” (<a href='B:230 17:14-15'>Psa 17:14-15</a> RV). This was his satisfaction; the satisfaction of men of the world was simply in their children, and to “leave the rest of their substance to their babes”, i:e. their grandkids. And David’s perspective must be that of us all:&nbsp;</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As for me, I shall see Your face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with seeing Your form- </p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Doubtless spurred by the insensitive prying into his private spirituality by his friends / brethren, Job seems to almost exult that he would see God for himself, in his own way, and nobody else (<a href='B:220 19:21'>Job 19:21</a> "and not another") would see God in this way. David had a similar vision; he looked to the day of resurrection when he would be satisfied, when he awoke, with seeing the face of God with a good conscience. These are the sort of pictures which should be embedded in our own private spirituality. Nobody, not even faithful brethren, can have dominion over our faith; by our own faith we stand (<a href='B:540 1:24'>2Co 1:24</a>, filling in the ellipsis). David's vision of future reward was to see God's face, a thought unthinkable for many in Israel; and to do so "in righteousness", because righteousness had been imputed to him.</p><h2></h2>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For the Chief Musician. By David the servant of Yahweh, who spoke to Yahweh the words of this song in the day that Yahweh delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The Psalm concludes with a reference to David as the anointed, so this could be a Psalm composed when Saul was slain and David was finally declared king, and his anointing came to fulfilment. It is a "song" but it has no strophes (unlike most of the Psalms), perhaps because it was intended for use at a procession.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I love You, Yahweh, my strength-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This bald statement "I love You" is intentionally startling, and is the only place where we read this; usually we read the word of God's love to man. Here, David simply tells God "I love You".</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This is the language of rocky terrain, the type where Saul chased David and God saved him multiple times.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David sees that Yahweh will be a "high tower" or place of refuge at the day of future judgment (<a href='B:230 9:8-9'>Psa 9:8-9</a>, quoted about this in <a href='B:510 17:31'>Act 17:31</a>). But David feels God has been like this to him in this life (<a href='B:100 22:3'>2Sa 22:3</a>; <a href='B:230 18:2'>Psa 18:2</a>; <a href='B:230 46:7'>Psa 46:7</a>; <a href='B:230 48:3'>Psa 48:3</a>; <a href='B:230 59:9'>Psa 59:9</a>; <a href='B:230 59:16-17'>Psa 59:16-17</a>; <a href='B:230 62:2'>Psa 62:2</a>; <a href='B:230 94:22'>Psa 94:22</a>; <a href='B:230 144:2'>Psa 144:2</a>). He therefore sees a seamless experience in his relationship with God in this life, and at the future day of judgment. God saves us right now and is a refuge for us in countless life situations; and this is the guarantee that He will be likewise at the last day.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I call on Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised; and I am saved from my enemies-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David's focus of all his praises upon Yahweh was what he wanted his people to follow (<a href='B:230 22:3'>Psa 22:3</a>). The implication of "worthy" could imply a contrast with other gods, as in <a href='B:230 96:4'>Psa 96:4</a> "He is to be feared / praised above all gods". This would confirm the hints we have that Saul was an idolater (see on :31; <a href='B:230 12:8'>Psa 12:8</a>; <a href='B:230 16:4'>Psa 16:4</a>), and that idolatry was prevalent in Israel at the time.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The cords of death surrounded me, the floods of ungodliness made me afraid-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David felt as if he had been a sacrifice bound to an altar, and therefore about to be pulled into the grave (:5). The allusion is to Isaac and his miraculous deliverance from such cords, thanks to the ram in the thicket whom David is later to understand as representative of the future Messianic saviour; for the Lord quotes David's "My God, why have You forsaken me?" (<a href='B:230 22:1'>Psa 22:1</a>) as the Aramaic sabachthani, "entangled", the word used of the ram entangled in the thicket.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The cords of Sheol were around me, the snares of death came on me-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>see on :4. David felt he had come face to face with death, to the point that his salvation was effectively a resurrection. The response to this near death situation is described in :7-12, but it is hard to locate such an incident in the historical records. Perhaps there was a particular salvation from death at Saul's hands which isn't recorded, but David alludes to it here.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>"Came on me" is literally 'went before me'. The same word is used in <a href='B:230 59:10'>Psa 59:10</a>: "My God will go before me with His grace". David was inside his house surrounded by his enemies (<a href='B:230 59:1'>Psa 59:1</a>), and escaped through a window. As he planned the escape, he believed that God's grace would go before him. At the end of his life he appears to reflect upon this incident, glorying that although he was "compassed about" with the threat of death, seeing the house was surrounded by Saul's men intending to kill him; yet God's grace had somehow gone before David and prepared a way of escape (<a href='B:230 18:5'>Psa 18:5</a>; <a href='B:230 18:18'>Psa 18:18</a> s:w:).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>In my distress I called on Yahweh, and cried to my God. He heard my voice out of His temple; my cry before Him came into His ears-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David again imagines his prayers as coming into the heavenly throne room, and eliciting a response. His later obsession with building a physical temple for God was a departure from how he had earlier perceived God's temple- as being in Heaven, and accessible by faithful prayer.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Then the earth shook and trembled, the foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken, because He was angry-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The response to the near death situation of :4,5 is described in :7-12, but it is hard to locate such an incident in the historical records. Perhaps there was a particular salvation from death at Saul's hands which isn't recorded, but David alludes to it here. Or perhaps the language here is that of theophany and God manifestation; it may not literally describe things which happened, but the hand of God in saving David was no less than as if He had appeared as He did at Sinai. For the language of earth shaking and quaking is that of the Sinai theophany and the deliverance from Egypt.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Smoke went out of His nostrils, consuming fire came out of His mouth; coals were kindled by it-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As discussed on :7, this sounds like the symbolic language of theophany and God manifestation, rather than describing actually observed events in literal terms. The allusion is clearly to what happened at the exodus and Sinai; see on :15.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He bowed the heavens also-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The same phrase used of Moses stretching out his hands toward the heavens, and God responding by delivering His people (<a href='B:20 9:22-23'>Exo 9:22-23</a>; <a href='B:20 10:21'>Exo 10:21</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>And came down, thick darkness was under His feet-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As Yahweh came down at Sinai (<a href='B:20 19:11'>Exo 19:11</a> s:w:). The idea is that as God had miraculously intervened for the salvation of His people in history, so David felt He had in his life; although there is no historical record of such dramatic scenes as on Sinai and at the Red Sea. We likewise experience His interventions; they aren't as dramatic as in history, but none less dramatic in ultimate reality. This coming down in a saving theophany was what David had in fact prayed for in <a href='B:230 144:5'>Psa 144:5</a>. He asked for a theophany to save him, no less that what happened at Sinai (s:w. <a href='B:20 19:18-20'>Exo 19:18-20</a>), when again God had as it were made the mountains smoke by His touch. We marvel at David's spiritual ambition, unafraid to ask for a similar theophany to save him. And here he reflects at the end of his life that this prayer was in fact answered. The relevance to the exiles is that Yahweh was prepared to "bow" (s:w. "stretch out") the heavens and "come down" to restore the exiles; but they chose not to make use of that huge potential (s:w. <a href='B:290 40:22'>Isa 40:22</a>; <a href='B:290 42:5'>Isa 42:5</a>; <a href='B:290 64:1'>Isa 64:1</a>). See on :14.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, He soared on the wings of the wind-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>"Wind" and "spirit" are the same words in Hebrew. The cherubim chariot are presented as God's vehicle of manifestation, and this was language the exiles would've been familiar with through the visions of Ezekiel. Yet this is not to say that David also had such a vision. Rather did he perceive God's huge cherubic activity through the various experiences of salvation and grace he had in his life. And this is the same for us.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He made darkness His hiding place, His pavilion around Him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>All the scene at God's manifestation on Sinai.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>At the brightness before Him His thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The "coals of fire" speak of Divine judgment (<a href='B:230 140:10'>Psa 140:10</a>), and were part of the cherubim vision (<a href='B:330 1:13'>Eze 1:13</a>; <a href='B:330 10:2'>Eze 10:2</a>). Hail and thick clouds were the judgment threatened upon the Assyrians in Hezekiah's time (<a href='B:290 28:2'>Isa 28:2</a>; <a href='B:290 30:30'>Isa 30:30</a>). David's experience becomes developed as relevant to the manifestation of God in salvation in other contexts.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh also thundered in the sky, the Most High uttered His voice: hailstones and coals of fire-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Hailstones and fire suggests the destruction of Sodom. And yet there is no recorded incident of God consuming David's enemies like thIsa. But he felt that God had indeed come through for Him in no less powerful a way. And we can feel and experience the same.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He sent out His arrows, and scattered them; yes, great lightning bolts, and defeated them-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This continues the thanksgiving that his prayer of <a href='B:230 144:6'>Psa 144:6</a> had been answered. He had asked for a saving theophany of the magnitude of what was seen at Sinai; see on :9. Now at the end of his life, David was thankful that this prayer had in fact been answered. David rejoices that Divine "arrows" were sent to destroy his enemies (<a href='B:230 7:13'>Psa 7:13</a>; <a href='B:230 18:14'>Psa 18:14</a>; <a href='B:230 45:5'>Psa 45:5</a>; <a href='B:230 64:7'>Psa 64:7</a>; <a href='B:230 144:6'>Psa 144:6</a>), in fulfilment of God's promise to do so to the sinful within Israel (<a href='B:50 32:23'>Deu 32:23</a>; <a href='B:50 32:42'>Deu 32:42</a>). But David had realized that those same arrows had been fired by God into him in judgment for his sin (<a href='B:230 38:2'>Psa 38:2</a>). This realization was perhaps to help David understand that his rejoicing in Divine arrows of judgment being fired at his enemies had not been mature; for he himself had to realize that he was worthy of the same.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Then the channels of waters appeared, the foundations of the world were laid bare at Your rebuke, Yahweh, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The opening word "then" is significant. As the channels of water were laid bare at the exodus, so God had acted for David. As discussed on :7, this section sounds like the symbolic language of theophany and God manifestation, rather than describing actually observed events in literal terms. The allusion is clearly to what happened at the exodus and Sinai; the essence of what God did then was experienced by David, just as it can be by us in our crises.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He sent from on high. He took me, He drew me out of many waters-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>"Waters" are usually symbolic of armies or nations. David felt he had been surrounded and faced with certain death, but had been as it were airlifted to safety by God. The language here says that God has done this, but it is parallel with David's prayer for this to happen in <a href='B:230 144:7'>Psa 144:7</a>. This triumphant song is therefore praise for the prayer of Psalms 144 being answered. We cannot locate any particular historical incident of fulfilment; perhaps it was too personal and wonderful to be recorded. Just as a Christian man or woman might feel it inappropriate to record God's most dramatic salvation of them when they write their autobiography.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>That thanksgiving was because he had prayed for salvation from "those who hate me" in <a href='B:230 9:13'>Psa 9:13</a> (s:w:). We have here a direct example of gratitude for answered prayer. It seems Saul and his supporters were the initial reference of the "strong enemy" (see on :1). These words are an allusion to his prayer of <a href='B:230 69:14'>Psa 69:14</a>. Now at the end of his life David reflects that he has been delivered from those who hated him (s:w:). At the time, he wept bitterly for Absalom's death; but now in maturity he realized that this was in fact an answer to his prayers.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>They came on me in the day of my calamity, but Yahweh was my support-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>See on :5. The phrase "day of calamity" is consistently used of a day of Divine condemnation, especially of Judah at the hand of the Babylonians (<a href='B:50 32:35'>Deu 32:35</a>; <a href='B:220 21:30'>Job 21:30</a>; <a href='B:300 18:17'>Jer 18:17</a>; <a href='B:300 46:21'>Jer 46:21</a>). Perhaps the Psalm was reworked as comfort for the exiles, that they could be saved even out of the day of their condemnation. And maybe David has the idea that he had been worthy of Divine condemnation, and the judgment was being articulated at the hands of his enemies- but by grace alone, God saved him from it:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He brought me forth also into a large place. He delivered me, because He delighted in me-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>When the Lord’s mockers jeered "If he desireth him" (RV), they were alluding to the LXX of <a href='B:230 18:19'>Psa 18:19</a>; <a href='B:230 91:11'>Psa 91:11</a>. God cannot be tempted, otherwise He would have responded. 'If God likes Him', is what they were really implying.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh has judged me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands has He recompensed me-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As noted on :14, David was yet to learn that he himself was a sinner and no man apart from the Lord has clean hands or total personal righteousness:&nbsp; Yet David twice repeats this self righteousness (:24).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For I have kept the ways of Yahweh, and have not wickedly departed from my God-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>"Wickedly departed" is the word usually translated "condemn" (e:g. <a href='B:230 37:33'>Psa 37:33</a>). Those who depart from God condemn themselves. This is a major Biblical theme; that the condemned are more self-condemned rather than condemned by God. "We make the answer now". But later David was to realize that he too had wickedly departed from God, and confession of that was vital for salvation (s:w. <a href='B:230 106:6'>Psa 106:6</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>&nbsp;David felt preserved by God from Saul and his other enemies (<a href='B:90 30:23'>1Sa 30:23</a>; <a href='B:100 22:44'>2Sa 22:44</a>), because he had preserved or obeyed [s:w:] God's ways (<a href='B:100 22:22'>2Sa 22:22</a>; <a href='B:100 22:24'>2Sa 22:24</a>; <a href='B:230 18:21'>Psa 18:21</a>; <a href='B:230 18:23'>Psa 18:23</a>); whereas Saul didn't obey / preserve them and was destroyed (<a href='B:90 13:13-14'>1Sa 13:13-14</a>; <a href='B:130 10:13'>1Ch 10:13</a>). Hence <a href='B:230 145:20'>Psa 145:20</a>: "Yahweh preserves all those who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy".</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Reading through the book of Psalms in one or two sittings reveals that frequent and intense self-examination was a leading characteristic of David:, especially while on the run from Saul; as if he began to pick up false guilt from how he was being treated, wondering if it was all in fact justified (<a href='B:230 4:4'>Psa 4:4</a>; <a href='B:230 7:3'>Psa 7:3</a>; <a href='B:230 17:3'>Psa 17:3</a>; <a href='B:230 18:20-24'>Psa 18:20-24</a>; <a href='B:230 19:12'>Psa 19:12</a>; <a href='B:230 26:1'>Psa 26:1</a>; <a href='B:230 39:1'>Psa 39:1</a>; <a href='B:230 59:3'>Psa 59:3</a>; <a href='B:230 66:18'>Psa 66:18</a>; <a href='B:230 77:6'>Psa 77:6</a>; <a href='B:230 86:2'>Psa 86:2</a>; <a href='B:230 101:2'>Psa 101:2</a>; <a href='B:230 109:3'>Psa 109:3</a>; <a href='B:230 139:23-24'>Psa 139:23-24</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For all His ordinances were before me, I didn’t put away His statutes from me-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>"Put away" is the word used for how God departed from Saul because he didn't keep God's statutes (<a href='B:90 16:14'>1Sa 16:14</a>; <a href='B:90 18:12'>1Sa 18:12</a>; <a href='B:90 28:15'>1Sa 28:15</a>). David is therefore comparing himself favourably with Saul; for this is his triumph song after Saul has been slain (see on :1).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I was also blameless with Him-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>A true seed of Abraham, who were to walk with or before Yahweh blameless (s:w. <a href='B:10 17:1'>Gen 17:1</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I kept myself from my iniquity-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This sounds like a boast in his iron willed self-control. He would never be able to boast like this after the sin with Bathsheba. It is God by His grace who keeps men from sinning (<a href='B:10 20:6'>Gen 20:6</a>), and not he rigid self-discipline of the deeply religious.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Therefore Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His eyesight-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As noted on :14, David was yet to learn that he himself was a sinner and no man apart from the Lord has clean hands or total personal righteousness:&nbsp; Yet David twice repeats this self righteousness (:20). In describing his feelings after the Bathsheba experience, David comments that he was "as a man that hears not [the taunts of others against him], and in whose mouth are no rebukes" (<a href='B:230 38:14'>Psa 38:14</a>). The pre-Bathsheba Psalms present David as a man who was so easily hurt by the taunts of others, and whose mouth was indeed full of rebuke of others. <a href='B:230 18:23-26'>Psa 18:23-26</a> has David describing his own uprightness before God, and how God only shows His grace to the pure and upright. How little did he understand grace! Worse still, he several times bids God judge men according to their sins (<a href='B:230 5:10'>Psa 5:10</a>). It is against this background that we must understand the significance of David's statements that after Bathsheba, after how God did not deal with him according to his sin, there were no rebukes of others now in his mouth. Realizing the extent of his personal sin and the depth of God's grace led David to not only be less reproachful of others; but also to be less hurt by their unkindness to him. And in these things we surely have a great lesson to ourselves.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful. With the perfect man, You will show Yourself perfect-</p>&nbsp;<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>we have here the mixture of spirituality and yet arrogance which we can often detect in ourselves. David recognizes his salvation has been through God's mercy; but he sees himself as having earned this mercy by being "perfect". The same word is used of Job, but he had to be taught that that status was a case of having righteousness imputed to him by grace; and because David was unwilling to really learn this, he had to be taught it through the righteousness imputed to him after his sin with Bathsheba.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>With the pure, You will show Yourself pure; with the crooked You will show Yourself shrewd-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David sees himself as the pure, and Saul as the crooked. Throughout David’s Psalms in Psalms 1-72, he repeatedly asks for torture upon the sinners and blessing upon himself as the righteous. He speaks of how sinners should be “contemned” in the eyes of the righteous (<a href='B:230 15:4'>Psa 15:4</a>), the gatherings of sinners should be “hated” and sinners should not be fellowshipped (<a href='B:230 26:4-6'>Psa 26:4-6</a>; <a href='B:230 31:6'>Psa 31:6</a>) and how God’s uprightness is shown to the upright and His judgment to the judgmental (<a href='B:230 18:25-26'>Psa 18:25-26</a>; <a href='B:230 33:22'>Psa 33:22</a>). He invites God’s judgment upon himself and others according to their and his works (<a href='B:230 28:4'>Psa 28:4</a>):&nbsp; Frequently he alludes to Saul as “the violent man”- even though David committed his share of violence- and asks judgment upon him (<a href='B:230 18:48'>Psa 18:48</a>). Only those with clean hands and pure heart like himself could have fellowship with God (<a href='B:230 24:3-4'>Psa 24:3-4</a>). Psalms 37 doesn’t indicate any desire to convert the sinners but rather an expectation of their judgment and destruction. God and David laugh at the wicked because their day is coming (<a href='B:230 37:13'>Psa 37:13</a>). There’s no spirit of grace here at all- perhaps that’s why <a href='B:450 12:10'>Zec 12:10</a> specifically says that the spirit of grace will have to be poured out upon the house of David in the last days. This attitude changed after the sin with Bathsheba, but still something of the old self righteousness and judgmental attitudes are to be found in David in Psalms written after that.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For You will save the afflicted people, but the proud eyes You will bring down-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> Again David perceives Saul as proud, and Saul's initial apparent humility must therefore be considered in this context. Perhaps he became proud, or maybe he had always been that way, and only appeared humble. But the word "people" may have been added when the Psalm was used by the exiles, for salvation for "the afflicted people" was the prophetic message to them (s:w. <a href='B:290 49:19'>Isa 49:19</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For You will light my lamp, Yahweh. My God will light up my darkness-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The phrase is only used of the lighting of the lamps in the tabernacle (<a href='B:20 25:37'>Exo 25:37</a>; <a href='B:40 8:2'>Num 8:2</a>). I noted on <a href='B:230 17:8'>Psa 17:8</a> that David seems himself as located on the mercy seat, in the Most Holy place.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For by You I advance through a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Such victories were given to David against the Philistines; the idea is as in GNB "You give me strength to attack my enemies and power to overcome their defenses". "Troop" is the word used of the Amalekites whom David overcame (<a href='B:90 30:8'>1Sa 30:8</a>; <a href='B:90 30:15'>1Sa 30:15</a>). The leaping over a wall may refer to the way that Zion was captured (<a href='B:100 5:6-8'>2Sa 5:6-8</a>):&nbsp;</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As for God, His way is perfect. The word of Yahweh is tried in the furnace. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in Him-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>"The word" specifically in view may be the prophetic word that David would be king and thereby overcome all of Saul's machinations (see on :1).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For who is God, except Yahweh? Who is a rock besides our God-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David perceives his victory over Saul (:1) as the vindication of Yahweh above other gods. This would confirm the hints we have that Saul was an idolater (see on <a href='B:230 12:8'>Psa 12:8</a>; <a href='B:230 16:4'>Psa 16:4</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>the God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect?<strong>- </strong></p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>A reference to his victory over Goliath without human armour, trusting completely in God (see on :33,34).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He makes my feet like deer’s feet, and sets me on my high places-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As in ::34, this may be a reference to his victory over Goliath, which he saw as the epitome of all his victories. For he ran swiftly towards Goliath before releasing the stone which slew him:&nbsp;</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Perhaps alluding to how it was David's dexterity of hand as a slinger which gave the victory over Goliath. But he recognizes that this was all of God. He is careful not to exalt as if his strength was his own.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>You have also given me the shield of Your salvation. Your right hand sustains me. Your gentleness has made me great-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>God’s gentleness, His humility / bowing down (Heb:) has made us great, lifted us up (<a href='B:230 18:35'>Psa 18:35</a>). And we respond to it by humbling ourselves. Paul's take on "the shield of your salvation" is that it means "the shield of faith" (<a href='B:560 6:16'>Eph 6:16</a>). If we enquire 'Faith in exactly what?', the answer is 'faith in salvation at the end of the day, that God will finally save me'.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>You have enlarged my steps under me, My feet have not slipped-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David in his earlier Psalms exalts and boasts to God that his feet have not slipped, indeed he was overly confident that his feet would never slip / "be moved" (<a href='B:230 17:5'>Psa 17:5</a>; <a href='B:230 21:7'>Psa 21:7</a>; <a href='B:230 55:22'>Psa 55:22</a>; <a href='B:230 62:2'>Psa 62:2</a>; <a href='B:230 62:6'>Psa 62:6</a>; <a href='B:230 125:1'>Psa 125:1</a>). His more mature reflection is that he had wrongly said "I shall never slip [AV "be moved"]" (<a href='B:230 30:6'>Psa 30:6</a>), and his feet had indeed slipped, not least over the Bathsheba incident (<a href='B:230 38:16'>Psa 38:16</a>; <a href='B:230 94:18'>Psa 94:18</a>). Solomon didn't learn this lesson, for he likewise assumed that the righteous would never be moved / slip (<a href='B:240 10:30'>Pro 10:30</a>), although he appears to accept that even a righteous man like his father had indeed slipped (<a href='B:240 25:26'>Pro 25:26</a>). And Solomon himself did so, not learning the lesson from his father's mistaken assumption that the righteous can never slip.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them. Neither will I turn again until they are consumed-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This is written after God had subdued Saul and David's other enemies (:1). He is taking this as a portent of future victory against all other enemies. But I will explain on :39-42 that David did not use all the potential authority and power of judgment which he was given.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I will strike them through, so that they will not be able to rise. They shall fall under my feet-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>See on :37. This refers to the potential power of judgment David felt he had been given, but this is not to say he would use it.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For You have armed me with strength to the battle, You have subdued under me those who rose up against me-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>In <a href='B:230 18:39'>Psa 18:39</a> (<a href='B:100 22:40'>2Sa 22:40</a>), David reflects how his victory in battle by God's strength meant that all was subdued under him (s:w. <a href='B:230 8:6'>Psa 8:6</a>), a Psalm about the victory over Goliath). The victory in battle which he had in view was supremely that over Goliath, his most major and applauded victory. To a far greater extent, the victory of the Lord Jesus meant not simply the subjugation of Israel beneath Him, but of all creation, including the natural creation.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Those who hated David surely refer to the house of Saul (:1). But David did not cut them off- even though he was given the opportunity of doing so.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>They cried, but there was none to save; even to Yahweh, but He didn’t answer them-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>A reference to God refusing to answer Saul just before he died (<a href='B:90 28:6'>1Sa 28:6</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind. I cast them out as the mire of the streets-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I noted on :40 that David didn't execute the judgments against the house of Saul which he could have done. The language of being "cast out" and being driven by the wind is that of Divine judgment. It could be that David intends us to understand that although he was given the opportunity of judging them ["that I might cut off::.", :40], he didn't- he left it to God's judgment.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>You have delivered me from the strivings of the people, You have made me the head of the nations. A people whom I have not known shall serve me-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David expected in faith that now he was solidly established as Israel's king, the surrounding Gentiles would come to serve him and his God (see on :49).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me; the foreigners shall submit themselves to me-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David's vision was that his kingdom would take the good news of Israel's God to the surrounding Gentiles (see on :49). Some of them would submit to David and his God, whereas others would not (:45).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The foreigners shall fade away, and shall come trembling out of their close places-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This may allude to how Saul's persecutors of David included "foreigners" such as Cush (see on <a href='B:230 7:1'>Psa 7:1</a>) and Doeg the Edomite (<a href='B:90 22:22'>1Sa 22:22</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh lives; and blessed be my rock. Exalted be the God of my salvation-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David had earlier lamented that Saul "My enemy" (= Saul, <a href='B:90 18:29'>1Sa 18:29</a>; <a href='B:90 19:17'>1Sa 19:17</a>) was "exalted over me" (<a href='B:230 13:2'>Psa 13:2</a> s:w:). The David who had once triumphed over his enemy Goliath now felt that Saul was triumphing over him. This, in the bigger Divine picture, may have been to keep David from pride at the amazing victory and triumph. And he learned the lesson. David was indeed to triumph / be exalted over Saul (<a href='B:230 18:48'>Psa 18:48</a>), but he saw it is God triumphing / being exalted (<a href='B:230 18:46'>Psa 18:46</a>). His praise Psalms are full of this word and idea- of the exaltation of God (<a href='B:230 57:5'>Psa 57:5</a>; <a href='B:230 57:11'>Psa 57:11</a>) and not himself.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>even the God who executes vengeance for me, and subdues peoples under me-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>An allusion to how David had restrained himself from murdering Saul when he could have done, and instead had trusted in God to execute vengeance. Here David reflects that God had indeed cast down the peoples under him (<a href='B:100 22:48'>2Sa 22:48</a>; <a href='B:230 18:47'>Psa 18:47</a>); by saying this he considers that his prayer of <a href='B:230 56:7'>Psa 56:7</a> has been answered: "In anger cast down the peoples, God". Perhaps when he prayed it, he just wanted God's anger to be poured out immediately, the day of judgment to come there and then, when the scales will be adjusted and men and nations cast down or lifted up. But he reflects that in a sense that had happened in his life, in that the peoples were cast down beneath him.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He rescues me from my enemies. Yes, You lift me up above those who rise up against me. You deliver me from the violent man-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>See on :46. The violent man was initially Saul (see on :1). The Hebrew word hamas [basically meaning 'physical violence arising from wicked plans'] is quite common in Scripture, and the usages speak of how God is provoked by hamas to bring judgment upon the enemies of His people (<a href='B:10 6:11-13'>Gen 6:11-13</a>; <a href='B:400 6:12'>Mic 6:12</a>; <a href='B:430 1:9'>Zep 1:9</a>) and also to intervene in order to save His people (<a href='B:230 18:49'>Psa 18:49</a>; <a href='B:230 72:14'>Psa 72:14</a>). How amazingly appropriate that an organization actually called hamas has arisen in these last days to do violence to Israel! If Biblical history means anything to us, clearly enough God's intervention in appropriate judgment and salvation cannot be far off. Note how Hagar's persecution of Sarah- typical of the Arab-Jew conflict- is described as her hamas (<a href='B:10 16:5'>Gen 16:5</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Therefore I will give thanks to You, Yahweh, among the nations, and will sing praises to Your name-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Again we see how David was one of the few in the Old Testament who had a sense of taking the good news of Yahweh's covenant to the Gentiles. And he apparently did so through exporting his musical productions to the surrounding peoples, who may well have been able to understand David's Hebrew.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He gives great deliverance to His king, and shows grace to His anointed, to David and to his seed, forevermore- </p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The Psalm concludes with a reference to David as the anointed, so this could be a Psalm composed when Saul was slain and David was finally declared king, and his anointing came to fulfilment. But the reference to eternal salvation for "his seed" could suggest it was composed after he had received the promises of 2 Samuel 7.</p><h2></h2>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The heavens declare the glory of God, the expanse above shows His handiwork-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Psalms 8 records David looking up at the skies after his victory over Goliath, marvelling at God's grace to man. Perhaps this is the same scene. Psalms 19 speaks of how the sun, moon and stars speak to humanity with no voice nor words. And yet that very passage is applied in the New Testament to the preachers of the Gospel. In mankind's meeting with us they should be seeing the same unspoken message which there is in the heavens above. We really can lead them on from their vague sense that there's something else out there in life and existence. They may feel that the answers lie shrouded by some impenetrable fog. But we need the spirit of Paul, when he noticed an altar to an unknown God. "Whom you ignorantly seek / worship, Him I will declare to you". People are fast realizing that advanced technology, social reforms, a rational approach to life::. simply isn't the answer to our spiritual needs. People are seeking something beyond. They're asking the right questions, but seeking answers in the wrong places.</p>&nbsp;<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Having spoken of the vital need for preachers, Paul quotes this verse as concerning the preaching of the Gospel: "Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world" (<a href='B:520 10:18'>Rom 10:18</a>). Paul is doubtless alluding to the great commission here. But he says that it is fulfilled by the preachers spoken of in <a href='B:230 19:1-4'>Psa 19:1-4</a>, which he quotes. This speaks of the "heavens" declaring God's gospel world-wide. In the same way as the sun 'goes forth' all over the world, so will the "heavens" go forth to declare the Gospel. The 'heavens' do not just refer to the twelve in the first century; the New Testament says that all in Christ are the "heavenlies"; we are all part of the "sun of righteousness". The arising of Christ as the sun at His second coming (<a href='B:460 4:2'>Mal 4:2</a>) will be heralded by the church witnessing the Gospel of His coming beforehand. The enthusiast will note a number of other preaching allusions in Psalms 19 : "The expanse shows &nbsp;His handiwork" uses a word (in the Septuagint) which occurs in <a href='B:490 9:60'>Luk 9:60</a> concerning the publishing of the Gospel. "Their voice is gone out through all the earth" (:4) is picked up by Paul in describing his preaching (<a href='B:540 10:13-16'>2Co 10:13-16</a> AVmg:). The idea of 'going out' throughout the earth was clearly at the root of Christ's great commission (<a href='B:480 16:15'>Mar 16:15</a>). Yet the "heavens" to which this refers in Psalms 19 are interpreted by the New Testament as referring to all&nbsp; believers in Christ.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Day after day they pour forth speech, and night after night they display knowledge-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As explained on :1, the New Testament interprets this as meaning that the lights of the heavens declare God's glory in the same way as Christian preachers constantly and continually present an unbroken witness to the Gospel. This means that David isn't saying that any amount of stargazing will of itself reveal the truths of the Gospel to men. The New Testament quotations (see on :1) are saying that as the stars and the sun daily pour out their testimony to the whole earth, so do the Christian preachers. This rather deconstructs the idea that God's truth is held only by one small group in some suburb who keep that truth largely to themselves.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As explained on :1, the New Testament interpretation is that as the stars and the sun daily pour out their testimony to the whole earth, so do the Christian preachers. And that Gospel is to go to all languages and peoples. And yet that witness is in who we are. The heavenly bodies, like the Christian preachers, are simply there, who they are. And this is the witness which will go to the ends of the earth. We can get all too caught up with ‘mission work’ in the sense of taking the message to all the earth through advertising and visits; but the essential witness, which will extend to the very core of this world, is the silent witness of who we are. Hence RV "Unheard is their voice", just as men can be won for Christ "without the word" (<a href='B:670 3:1'>1Pe 3:1</a>). We have assumed that there are men and women sitting in their homes trying to figure out whether, e:g:, God is a trinity or not, just waiting for our preaching to reach them. Yet this just isn’t the case. When men and women saw the result of the Lord’s ministry, they asked: “What new doctrine is this?” (<a href='B:480 1:27'>Mar 1:27</a>). Now this is how we need people to be with us- to ask us, with the implication they are ready and willing to listen, what exactly it is that we believe. But they only get to that point by seeing the effect of our lives and witness.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>LXX offers "It is not a speech or words whose voice is unintelligible". The simple message of the Gospel is as clear as the sunlight; it doesn't require any great process of theological interpretation before it is seen for what it Isa.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Their voice has gone out through all the earth, their words to the end of the world-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This is picked up by Paul in describing his preaching (<a href='B:540 10:13-16'>2Co 10:13-16</a> AVmg:). The idea of 'going out' throughout the earth was clearly at the root of Christ's great commission (<a href='B:480 16:15'>Mar 16:15</a>). See on :1. "Voice" is "line" in some manuscripts. The idea is that the territory of dominion for the message has been defined- and it is the whole world. As explained on :1, this is well interpreted in the New Testament with reference to the universality of the great commission, to take the Gospel to the whole planet and to every language upon it (:3).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>And yet that huge work has been split up by God in His providence. We each have our specific area, either of people or the world, in which God intends us to make a witness. Paul thus spoke of how both he and other brethren had their specific "line" or sphere in which they were intended to witness (<a href='B:540 10:16'>2Co 10:16</a> cp. <a href='B:230 19:4'>Psa 19:4</a> AVmg:; <a href='B:370 7:17'>Amo 7:17</a>). We each have ours, whether it be the people who live in our block of flats, an area of our own country or city; or another part of the world.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>In them He has set a tent for the sun-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The special attention given to the sun is surely because it was a symbol of Messiah (<a href='B:460 3:2'>Mal 3:2</a>). This is singled out as the major witness. Yet the witness of the heavenly bodies is understood as a representation of the witness of God's people to the Gospel (see on :1). They are "the sun" in that their witness is in Christ, they are Him to this world. The sun was a common symbol for a person, and the "tent" in view is the temporary abode at a wedding feast, which is the theme continued in :5.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>which is as a bridegroom coming out of his room, like a strong man rejoicing to run his course-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As the sun arises and passes across the sky (:6), so the Messianic sun (:4), the bridegroom, comes out. The dawn is therefore symbolic of Messiah's coming out from heaven to marry His bride, the church. This going forth of the bridegroom from his "chamber" clearly looks ahead to the going forth of Messiah when the Davidic kingdom is finally fully established and all Judah's enemies destroyed (s:w. <a href='B:360 2:16'>Joe 2:16</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>His going forth is from the end of the heavens, his circuit to its ends; there is nothing hidden from its heat-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>"Heat" is carefully chosen. For men can hide from the light of the sun, but not from its heat; sinners ultimately cannot hide themselves from God's sun (s:w. <a href='B:220 34:22'>Job 34:22</a>). The witness of the sun, reaching to every man, is being used as the pattern for all the witness of God's people who preach His word (:1,2). It cannot fail to have its impact and that word preached will not return without achievement and effect. "Circuit" is a poor translation and means simply "end", which is how the Hebrew is usually translated. It would be incorrect to base any argument for circular motion upon this word:&nbsp;</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh’s law is perfect, restoring the soul. Yahweh’s testimony is sure, making wise the simple-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The sudden change of subject to God's word is not at all out of context; for as explained on :1-4, the interpretation is that as the stars and the sun daily pour out their testimony to the whole earth, so will the preachers of God's word. The sureness of the sun's activities and the perfection of its light are therefore seen as reflections of the nature of God's word, especially as it is manifest in the flesh of Messiah (:5):&nbsp;</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh’s precepts are right, rejoicing the heart. Yahweh’s commandment is pure, enlightening the eyes-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>See on :7. It is quite likely that <a href='B:230 19:8'>Psa 19:8</a>; <a href='B:230 19:10'>Psa 19:10</a> were written with Jonathan's experience of 1 Samuel 14&nbsp; in mind: "The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes::. sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb". Psalms 19 may well have been written in the Bathsheba period: "Cleanse (s:w. <a href='B:230 51:2'>Psa 51:2</a>) thou me from secret faults". So the memory of Jonathan stayed with David all his life long. "Enlightening" is the word used of lights appearing at creation, on account of Gods spoken word (s:w. <a href='B:10 1:15'>Gen 1:15</a>; <a href='B:10 1:17'>Gen 1:17</a>). The idea is that there is a new creation being achieved through the witness of that word, with lights going on in the darkness of previously darkened minds.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The fear of Yahweh is clean, enduring forever-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The context is all about God's law and word. So the idea may be that we read n an ellipsis: 'the word which teaches the fear of Yahweh:::'.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Yahweh’s ordinances are true, and righteous altogether-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>See on :7. This may sound axiomatic, but the idea is that those influenced by God's word become "true" themselves. Truthfulness is therefore an essential psychological response in all those influenced by God's truth.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>More to be desired are they than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the extract of the honeycomb-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The power of transformation in God's word is priceless. No human wealth or enjoyment of the senses [eating of honey] can equal it.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Moreover by them is Your servant warned-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> "Warned" is "taught". The idea is that the laws and principles of God become teachers of themselves. There is an upward spiral in spirituality. Obedience leads to an experience of God's word as a teacher, obviating the need to rely upon human interpretations; the commandment itself comes to be the teacher of itself. That is the idea here.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>In keeping them there is a great reward-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>It might help if we try to visualize the practical benefits of keeping the Mosaic laws (as in <a href='B:20 15:26'>Exo 15:26</a>). "In keeping of them is great reward", David commented (<a href='B:230 19:11'>Psa 19:11</a>). Moses likewise: "The Lord commanded us to do all these statutes::. for our good always" (<a href='B:50 6:24'>Deu 6:24</a>)- not for their irritation, or as a pointless test of obedience. Perhaps this is why the giving of the Law is described as an expression of God's love for Israel (<a href='B:50 33:2-4'>Deu 33:2-4</a>).</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Who can discern his own errors? Forgive me from sins of ignorance-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Reflecting upon the power and necessity of God's law and word elicits a natural awareness that we often must have failed to obey. And so David prayed for cleansing from "secret faults" (AV)- things which we do not specifically repent of, and yet which are still sinful in God's sight. All sin is sin- sin is not definable according to our awareness of it (as witness the Mosaic trespass offerings). If we disagree that we are forgiven for sins which we do not specifically repent of and forsake, then we must conclude that we actually know every one of our sins; and that just one sin, unrepented of, will keep us from salvation. None of us has the self knowledge, nor the appreciation of God's&nbsp; righteousness, to be confident that we do know each of our sins. It is only the self-righteous who claim that they have confessed every one of their sins. So we are driven to rely on salvation by grace- believing that we will be forgiven for sins we commit, which we do not recognize. If we hope for any amount of forgiveness without specific repentance, then we ought not to make it a principle that we will never forgive our brother unless he outwardly shows his repentance. For we all somehow hope for forgiveness without repentance.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Perhaps David went so far down the road of self-examination that the sin with Bathsheba made him realize that it was probably associated with many others which he did not even realize: "Who can understand his own errors? cleanse (s:w. <a href='B:230 51:1'>Psa 51:1</a>,2 re. the Bathsheba affair) thou me from secret faults" (<a href='B:230 19:12'>Psa 19:12</a> AV). If our own self-examination and repentance is after the pattern of David's, we will appreciate how that each of our sins is associated with so many others. We will be aware how that each spiritual event in our life makes us either weaker or stronger in facing the next one, how that each temptation is intertwined with others, so that in reality we do not commit (say) three or four sins per day. We are constantly failing and winning, and therefore we live in God's mercy; we do not just experience it for the few seconds in which we pray to Him for forgiveness to be granted. David's sin with Bathsheba is a process we each go through in one way or another.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Paul says that although he knows of nothing that would stand against him at the judgment, this doesn't justify him, because the Lord sees differently to us (<a href='B:530 4:4'>1Co 4:4</a> RSV). David likewise knew that his own self-examination was unable to give him an accurate picture of his status before God; "Who can understand his (own) errors?" (<a href='B:230 19:12'>Psa 19:12</a>). All too often one hears it said: 'It's OK in my conscience, so there's nothing wrong with it'. Yet my comment is that our 'conscience', our natural sense of right and wrong, won't jump outside of us at judgment day and stand there and judge us. There is one thing that will judge us: the word of the Lord (<a href='B:500 12:48'>Joh 12:48</a>). Morality isn't relative; there is such a thing as ultimate right and wrong, regardless of what our intuitive sense Isa:&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins, let them not have dominion over me. Then I will be upright, I will be blameless and innocent of the great transgression-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>A fair case can be made that David's sin with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah was in fact a sin of presumption. David confessed that there was no sacrifice appropriate to his (singular) sin; his many individual sins associated with the matter were perceived as one sin, and that was the sin of presumption. The fact that he is condemned for having "despised the commandment of the Lord" (<a href='B:90 12:9'>1Sa 12:9</a>) indicates that He knew all along what God's will really was. The fact that the flesh took over does not in any way mitigate his responsibility in thIsa. This is a direct quote from the Law's definition of the sin of presumption: "The soul that does anything presumptuously::. because he has despised the word of the Lord::. that soul shall utterly be cut off" (<a href='B:40 15:30-31'>Num 15:30-31</a>). Knowing David’s emotional nature and also the fact that he did not completely turn away from God afterwards, we would have expected a quicker repentance if it had been a passing sin of passion. It would therefore seem reasonable to assume that the sin was of presumption rather than passion.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>In this case, we can reflect that God will keep men from sinning, but only if they wish to be kept from sinning. And David didn't wish for this at the time. In this case,’the great transgression" would refer to the sin of presumption. Or we can read this as meaning that David is writing after the time of his sin, and is asking to be held back from repeating it, lest he become guilty of the "great transgression", the sin with Bathsheba. In this case, he felt as if he was as it were forgiven of that sin conditional upon not repeating it.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, Yahweh, my rock and my redeemer- The request is for God to "let" or allow us certain mental attitudes. Again and again in the psalms, we see David recognizing the direct operation of God upon the human spirit or heart- and that continues to be effected to this day, by His Spirit.</p><h2></h2>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For the Chief Musician. A</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>It's possible to understand this Psalm as composed when David came to the tabernacle to offer sacrifice before going to war. The people pray for him in :1-3, then in :4 the High Priest speaks; then David and the people in :5; then once the offering has been burnt, the High Priest in :6, then :7,8 by David and his soldiers; and then :9 as a chorus by all present. It seems Psalms 21 is a psalm of thanks forr the victory given; and I note on <a href='B:230 21:1'>Psa 21:1</a> that this may have specifically been the victory over the Ammonites which David was given by grace right after his sin with Bathsheba.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>May Yahweh answer you in the day of trouble. May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The intention of David's Psalms were to share his experience of God's grace and salvation with others. This Psalm is very clear- David is saying 'May this be true for you as it was for me'. And this is really the basis of all our witness. It was David who had been answered in his 'days of trouble', and set on high (<a href='B:230 20:1'>Psa 20:1</a>). His desire was fulfilled- for this verse of the Psalm clearly was reapplied to the "day of trouble" of the Assyrian invasion (s:w. <a href='B:290 37:3'>Isa 37:3</a>) and also to the Babylonian traumas of the exiles (s:w. <a href='B:300 16:19'>Jer 16:19</a>; <a href='B:300 30:7'>Jer 30:7</a>; <a href='B:410 1:7'>Nah 1:7</a>; <a href='B:420 3:16'>Hab 3:16</a>). See on <a href='B:20 25:8'>Exo 25:8</a>. </p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>send you help from the sanctuary, grant you support from Zion-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The perception was that God lived in the sanctuary, perhaps symbolized by the shekinah glory there. This Psalm was written therefore after the ark had come to Zion. See on <a href='B:230 80:1'>Psa 80:1</a>.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>remember all your offerings and accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As noted on :1, success in the war and answer to prayer was thought to depend upon the offering of sacrifice. After the sin with Bathsheba, David was to mature in his understanding- that salvation and God's operation with His people is by grace and not because He desired sacrifice (<a href='B:230 40:6'>Psa 40:6</a>; <a href='B:230 51:16-17'>Psa 51:16-17</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>May He grant you your heart’s desire, and fulfil all your word-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>It is God's word which is fulfilled, but if His word dwells in us, then our word becomes His word (<a href='B:500 15:7'>Joh 15:7</a>); progressively, therefore, as we grow in Him and His word, we have an ever more impressive experience of answered prayer because our desires, the things we pray for, are in line with His desires and word.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>We will triumph in Your salvation, in the name of our God, we will set up our banners-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The setting up of banners implies going out to war; see on :1.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>May Yahweh grant all your requests-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This may be the response of the priest or the people to the confident prayer in the first half of the verse.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Now I know that Yahweh saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven, with the saving strength of His right hand-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The sanctuary was seen as "heaven" on earth, located then in Zion (:2). The conception was that there was a little place on earth where God was king, heaven on earth. The Lord later develops this idea; the kingdom of heaven is to become the kingdom of God on the entire earth, not just a small spot on mount Zion.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust the name of Yahweh our God-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As noted on :1, this is relevant to prayer before going into battle- when apparently disadvantaged by obedience to the Mosaic command not to use horses and chariots. Solomon’s obsession with large numbers of horses and chariots (<a href='B:140 1:14'>2Ch 1:14</a>) was a marked contrast to these words of one of David’s songs which Solomon must have often hummed to himself. He knew this, but the knowledge resided in just one part of his brain- in reality, he went ahead and did the very opposite.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>They are bowed down and fallen, but we rise up, and stand upright-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This was a prayer before going into battle (:1); but David exemplifies the command to believe that prayer is answered even before it is (<a href='B:480 11:24'>Mar 11:24</a>).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Save, Yahweh! Let the King answer us when we call!<strong>- </strong></p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David was the king, but he and the people are taught in this song (see on :1) to believe that Yahweh is their ultimate king, and David was merely reigning on His behalf.</p><h2></h2>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The king rejoices in Your strength, Yahweh! How greatly he rejoices in Your salvation!<strong>- </strong></p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The Psalm could be thanks for David's becoming king after Saul's death, when he had the crown placed upon his head (:3). But the reference to being given eternal life at this time (:4) means that the "salvation" in view is surely not limited to David's miraculous salvation from Saul and establishment as king of Israel. It perhaps refers to his greater belief that his Messianic son would become an eternal king of Judah. But there are many connections with Psalms 20, which I explained as a Psalm before going into battle, perhaps against the Ammonites (see on <a href='B:230 20:1'>Psa 20:1</a>). The crowning of David in :3 could however refer to the crowning of David with the gold crown of the Ammonite king (<a href='B:100 12:30'>2Sa 12:30</a>; <a href='B:130 20:2'>1Ch 20:2</a>). This however was straight after his sin with Bathsheba. So David's joy in God's salvation was due to his sense that God had given him this victory by grace when he himself was a sinner. His thanks for giving him eternal life (:4) was therefore in the sense that he believed that despite his sin, he would be eternally saved, and he saw the victory against Ammon as a foretaste of that.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>You have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his liPsa. Selah-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Often, “desire” is seen by God as prayer (<a href='B:230 10:17'>Psa 10:17</a>; <a href='B:230 21:2'>Psa 21:2</a>; <a href='B:230 27:4'>Psa 27:4</a>; <a href='B:230 59:10'>Psa 59:10</a>; <a href='B:230 92:11'>Psa 92:11</a>; <a href='B:230 140:8'>Psa 140:8</a>; <a href='B:230 145:19'>Psa 145:19</a>; <a href='B:470 18:32'>Mat 18:32</a>; <a href='B:520 10:1'>Rom 10:1</a>; <a href='B:690 5:15'>1Jn 5:15</a>). God interprets that inner desire as prayer, even if it is not articulated in specific requests. The heart's desire in this case was the prayer for victory against the Ammonites in <a href='B:230 20:4'>Psa 20:4</a>.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For You meet him with the blessings of goodness, You set a crown of fine gold on his head-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The reference would be to he crowning of David in :3 could however refer to the crowning of David with the gold crown of the Ammonite king (<a href='B:100 12:30'>2Sa 12:30</a>; <a href='B:130 20:2'>1Ch 20:2</a>). This however was straight after his sin with Bathsheba. So David's joy in God's salvation was due to his sense that God had given him this victory by grace when he himself was a sinner.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He asked life of You, You gave it to him, even length of days forever and ever-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>His thanks for giving him eternal life comes after his forgiveness for the sin with Bathsheba (see on :1-3). It was therefore in the sense that he believed that despite his sin, he would be eternally saved, and he saw the victory against Ammon as a foretaste of that.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>His glory is great in Your salvation; You lay honour and majesty on him-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David marvelled at this because he was such a sinner who had just been forgiven for the sin with Bathsheba. The victory against Ammon assured him that God was going to eternally save him, as it was a foretaste of God's great salvation (see on :1-4).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>for You make him most blessed forever. You make him glad with joy in Your presence-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>After the sin with Bathsheba, David had asked for God to restore to him the joy of God's salvation (<a href='B:230 51:12'>Psa 51:12</a>), and here he is thanking God for having done so, through the blessing of God's grace. See on :1.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>for the king trusts in Yahweh. Through the grace of the Most High, he shall not be moved-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David in his earlier Psalms exalts and boasts to God that his feet have not slipped, indeed he was overly confident that his feet would never slip / "be moved" (<a href='B:230 17:5'>Psa 17:5</a>; <a href='B:230 21:7'>Psa 21:7</a>; <a href='B:230 55:22'>Psa 55:22</a>; <a href='B:230 62:2'>Psa 62:2</a>; <a href='B:230 62:6'>Psa 62:6</a>; <a href='B:230 125:1'>Psa 125:1</a>). His more mature reflection is that he had wrongly said "I shall never slip [AV "be moved"]" (<a href='B:230 30:6'>Psa 30:6</a>), and his feet had indeed slipped, not least over the Bathsheba incident (<a href='B:230 38:16'>Psa 38:16</a>; <a href='B:230 94:18'>Psa 94:18</a>). As explained on :1, this Psalm may well have been written immediately after receiving forgiveness for the sin; and so David is asking that he shall never slip like that again. Solomon didn't learn this lesson, for he likewise assumed that the righteous would never be moved / slip (<a href='B:240 10:30'>Pro 10:30</a>), although he appears to accept that even a righteous man like his father had indeed slipped (<a href='B:240 25:26'>Pro 25:26</a>). And Solomon himself did so, not learning the lesson from his father's mistaken assumption that the righteous can never slip.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Your hand will find out all of Your enemies; Your right hand will find out those who hate You-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David saw the victory over the Ammonites as an encouragement that all his future enemies would likewise be overcome; but by God's hand / operation / strength, rather than his own military prowess (:3).</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>You will make them as a fiery furnace in the time of Your anger. Yahweh will swallow them up in His wrath, the fire shall devour them-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This is the language of the condemnation of the last day (<a href='B:470 13:42'>Mat 13:42</a>). David sees a portent of future things in his victory over the Ammonites, and the Divine judgment and salvation by grace meted out thereby. See on :1-3.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>You will destroy their descendants from the land, their posterity from among the children of men-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David saw these Ammonites as a seed which should be destroyed from the eretz. His vision was of the eretz promised to Abraham full of the righteous. </p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For they intended evil against You, they plotted evil against You which cannot succeed-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>There is a strange connection of ideas here with Joseph's comment to his brothers that "You thought / intended evil against me; but God meant it unto good::. to save much people alive" (<a href='B:10 50:20'>Gen 50:20</a>). The connection shows Joseph to be far more gracious spirited than David, who seems to relish the thought of God's destruction of his enemies (despite his recent forgiveness for the Bathsheba / Uriah incident, see on :1):&nbsp;</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For You will make them turn their back when You aim drawn bows at their face-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As noted on :11, this appears a far too bloodthirsty attitude. So often in the psalms, David reveals a vicious desire for the blood of his enemies. Perhaps it was because of this bloodlust that David was precluded from building the temple because he had been a man of wars and had shed blood (<a href='B:130 28:3'>1Ch 28:3</a>). Solomon also shed blood as did many of God's servants, so that alone seems no reason why David couldn't build the temple. Perhaps it was his bloodthirsty attitude, albeit tinged with moments of great grace, forgiveness and gentleness, which led to God's prohibition. Shimei called David a "bloodthirsty man" (<a href='B:100 16:7-8'>2Sa 16:7-8</a> s:w:). And the same words are used by God about David (<a href='B:130 28:3'>1Ch 28:3</a>). So we can wonder whether David was too quick in <a href='B:230 5:6'>Psa 5:6</a> to assume that the 'man of blood' was hated by God and was of course not him.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Be exalted, Yahweh, in Your strength; so we will sing and praise Your power- Whatever David's weakness of attitude noted on :11,12, he is very deeply and genuinely aware that he is strong only in God's strength, and this awareness was the basis for his absolutely genuine praise of Yahweh; despite having wrong attitudes in other sectors of his life. And all the same he was accepted by God.</p><h2></h2>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>For the Chief Musician; set to The Doe of the Morning-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The hind is the symbol of grace and innocence (<a href='B:260 2:7'>Son 2:7</a>; <a href='B:260 2:9'>Son 2:9</a>). This is in intentional contrast to the abusers who are called bulls, lions and dogs. Perhaps "the morning" alludes to the hope of resurrection.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>A Psalm of David-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Not all the experiences listed here appear to have been true of David, nor of any Biblical character. We conclude that some of the language of piercing and crucifixion was therefore initially intended symbolically. But it all came together in a literal sense for the Lord Jesus.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?<strong>- </strong></p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David felt as if he had been a sacrifice bound to an altar, and therefore about to be pulled into the grave (<a href='B:230 18:5-6'>Psa 18:5-6</a>; <a href='B:230 116:3'>Psa 116:3</a>; <a href='B:230 140:5'>Psa 140:5</a>). The allusion is to Isaac and his miraculous deliverance from such cords, thanks to the ram in the thicket whom David is later to understand as representative of the future Messianic saviour; for the Lord quotes David's "My God, why have You forsaken me?" (<a href='B:230 22:1'>Psa 22:1</a>) as the Aramaic sabachthani, "entangled", the word used of the ram entangled in the thicket.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This verse is quoted by the Lord Jesus just moments before He died, and it has been suggested He cited the entire Psalm on the cross, as the last verse finishes (in LXX) with something similar to His last words, "it is finished". It certainly reflects a crisis in the Lord in His last few minutes of human life. He had been crying out aloud for deliverance, presumably for some time, according to <a href='B:230 22:1-6'>Psa 22:1-6</a>, both during and before the unnatural three hour darkness. He felt that His desire for deliverance was not being heard, although the prayers of others had been heard in the past when they cried with a like intensity. The Lord Jesus was well aware of the connection between God's refusal to answer prayer and His recognition of sin in the person praying (<a href='B:100 22:42'>2Sa 22:42</a> = <a href='B:230 2:2-5'>Psa 2:2-5</a>). It is emphasized time and again that God will not forsake those who love Him (e:g. <a href='B:50 4:31'>Deu 4:31</a>; <a href='B:50 31:6'>Deu 31:6</a>; <a href='B:90 12:22'>1Sa 12:22</a>; <a href='B:110 6:13'>1Ki 6:13</a>; <a href='B:230 94:14'>Psa 94:14</a>; <a href='B:290 41:17'>Isa 41:17</a>; <a href='B:290 42:16'>Isa 42:16</a>). Every one of these passages must have been well known to our Lord, the word made flesh. He knew that God forsaking Israel was a punishment for their sin (<a href='B:70 6:13'>Jdg 6:13</a>; <a href='B:120 21:14'>2Ki 21:14</a>; <a href='B:290 2:6'>Isa 2:6</a>; <a href='B:300 23:33'>Jer 23:33</a>). God would forsake Israel only if they forsook Him (<a href='B:50 31:16-17'>Deu 31:16-17</a>; <a href='B:140 15:2'>2Ch 15:2</a>). The Lord was so identified with our sin that He felt as a sinner, although he wasn't in fact.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The Greek word translated "forsaken" occurs in <a href='B:510 2:27'>Act 2:27</a>, where Peter quotes from Psalms 16 concerning how Christ was always aware of His own righteousness, and therefore confidently knew that God would not "leave (forsake) his soul in hell". In <a href='B:230 22:1'>Psa 22:1</a>, our Lord was doubting His previous thoughts, as prophesied in <a href='B:230 16:10'>Psa 16:10</a>. He now feared that God had forsaken Him, when previously He had been full of confidence that God would not do so, on account of His perfect character. Because He felt such a sinner deep within Him, He even doubted if He really was the Messiah. This is how deeply our Lord was our representative, this is how thoroughly He bare our own sins in His own body on the tree, this is how deeply He came to know us, to be able to exactly empathize with us in our spiritual weakness; this was how He became able to have a fellow feeling with those who are out of the way, who have lost the faith, "for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity" (<a href='B:650 5:2'>Heb 5:2</a>).</p>&nbsp;<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>In every other recorded prayer of His in the Gospels, the Lord addressed the Almighty as “Father"; but finally He used the more distant “My God", reflecting the separation He felt. But therefore His mind flew to <a href='B:230 22:1'>Psa 22:1</a>, and He quoted those words: "My God, why have You forsaken me". But the fact His mind went to the Scriptures like that was His salvation. There is reason to think that in His last few minutes, the Lord quoted the whole of Psalms 22 out loud. . Thus He asked for a drink "that the Scripture might be fulfilled", or finished, and then His words "It is finished" followed- which are actually an exact quote from the Septuagint of the last verse of Psalms 22. Psalms 22, 69 can be clearly divided into two halves; the first half speaks of the confused thoughts of the Lord Jesus as He hung on the cross, but then there is a sudden rally, and His thoughts become clearly more confident and positive, centered around the certainty of our future salvation. As Christ quoted or at least thought through Psalms 22, He came to the glorious conclusion: Of course this is how Messiah must feel, He must feel forsaken, as Psalms 22 prophesied, but He would go on to save God's people! Just because Messiah would feel forsaken didn't mean that He Himself had sinned! We can almost sense the wave of reassurance that swept over our Lord, that deep knowledge of His own good conscience. And therefore how desperate He was, despite that ravaging thirst, to utter to the world that cry, "It is finished" ; to show to us all that He had achieved God's work, that He had perfectly manifested the Father, and that thereby He really had achieved our redemption.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Why are You so far from helping me-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>"Helping" is Yeshua. The words clearly have relevance to the Lord Jesus; He wondered whether He was really 'Jesus'.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>And from the words of my groaning?<strong>- </strong></p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Literally, as AV, "roaring". This is how David felt at the time of desolation he felt after the sin with Bathsheba (s:w. <a href='B:230 32:3'>Psa 32:3</a>). This was probably the historical context of the Psalm. And yet it is those Psalms written whilst far from God which are most appropriate to the Lord Jesus on the cross. He didn't sin; but on the cross He was so identified with us as sinners that He felt as a sinner, and the words of David whilst far from God therefore seemed appropriate to Him. See on :19.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The same word is used of the roaring of the enemies as lions (:13). In response, David / Jesus roared to God. Because the weight is on the arms, the crucified can't speak easily. The whole conversation between the thief and the Lord would probably have been whispered, with long intervals between words. The final two loud cries of the Lord must have been made with immense pain. It also explains why they confused His "Eli, Eli" with 'Eliyahu' (Elijah); He was probably speaking very quietly. There is no recorded reaction of the crowd to His prayers. Yet <a href='B:230 22:1'>Psa 22:1</a> speaks of His prayer as a lion roaring to God, and yet He felt that the abuse of the crowd was like the ravening and roaring of a lion (<a href='B:230 22:13'>Psa 22:13</a>). It may be that they hurled abuse back at Him in response to the roaring of His prayers.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>My God, I cry in the daytime, but You don’t answer; in the night season, and am not silent-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As suggested on :1, the Lord did so both during and before the unnatural three hour darkness.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>But You are holy, You who inhabit the praises of Israel-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The simple take away from this is that whether or not God comes through for us as we hope or expect, or even think He should- we accept He is right and holy, and we are never to charge God foolishly. Both David and the Lord were very aware that they were not alone, but there was an "Israel" of God's true people over time and space who were still faithful- even if they were not immediately visible.</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>David's focus of all his praises upon Yahweh as alone "worthy" of praise was what he wanted his people to follow (<a href='B:230 18:3'>Psa 18:3</a>; <a href='B:230 22:3'>Psa 22:3</a>). The implication of "worthy" could imply a contrast with other gods, as in <a href='B:230 96:4'>Psa 96:4</a> "He is to be feared / praised above all gods". This would confirm the hints we have that Saul was an idolater (see on :31; <a href='B:230 12:8'>Psa 12:8</a>; <a href='B:230 16:4'>Psa 16:4</a>), and that idolatry was prevalent in Israel at the time.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Our fathers trusted in You-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> they trusted, and You delivered them-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>As noted on :1, whether or not God comes through for us as He has done in history is no reason to charge Him foolishly. This experience is to humble us, as we see in :6. See on :20.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>they cried to You, and were delivered. They trusted in You, and were not disappointed-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The idea in the Lord's mind was surely that men less spiritual than Himself had received miraculous deliverance, but His cry for deliverance was unheeded. As explained on :6, this brought Him to the final humility required before His death. The nature of the argument requires that the Lord expected some form of immediate deliverance, as David did. And we naturally struggle to reconcile this with His clear awareness that He must die on the cross and be resurrected. But this is the same question as to how He knew Judas would betray Him, and yet treated Judas as His own familiar friend in whom He trusted. It is a legitimate part of being human that we may know something on one level, and yet desperately believe and feel in a different way. We think of Samson trusting Delilah when he surely knew the inevitable was going to happen. Love and identity with others can be reasons this happens- and they were exactly what the Lord was full of in His time of dying.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Php_2:4-7 speaks of the Lord Jesus as being progressively humbled right up to the point of His death. The Lord quoted this Psalm just moments before His death. What brought Him to this final humility was the reflection that although God had come through for men who were less perfect than Himself (:5), God had not done so for Him, at least not immediately. "Worm" is the word for 'scarlet' but probably the idea is simply of a worm, and this Psalm was likely used in the context of the exiles, "you worm Jacob" (<a href='B:290 41:14'>Isa 41:14</a>). They too had to be humbled before they could be saved and become the salvation of others. The reference to "worm" maybe significant in that worms "are simultaneous hermaphrodites, meaning&nbsp;worms&nbsp;have both male and female reproductive organs. During&nbsp;sexual&nbsp;intercourse among&nbsp;earthworms, both sets of sex organs are used by both&nbsp;worms. If all goes well, the eggs of both of the mates become fertilized". Some worms are capable of parthenogenesis&nbsp;(asexual reproduction). There could therefore be a reference here to the virgin birth.</p>


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<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>All those who see me mock me, they insult me with their lips, they shake their heads and say-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>This is again the language of Job, whose book David would have been familiar with. The connection between <a href='B:230 22:7'>Psa 22:7</a> and <a href='B:470 27:39'>Mat 27:39</a> would suggest that the 'passers-by' were there with the express intent of taunting Him. Because His eyes were inevitably downward, it would have been difficult for the Lord not to look at them. Their words were exactly those of the Sanhedrin (<a href='B:470 26:61'>Mat 26:61</a>), so presumably they came from there- the work colleagues of Joseph and Nicodemus.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>He trusts in Yahweh; let Him deliver him. Let Him rescue him, since He delights in him-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>We wonder why men so versed in the Old Testament would actually quote these words about the Lord. For by quoting them, they were presenting Him as the suffering believer of Psalms 22 who was to be justified. It seems that it was a case of hate blinding the eyes and sense of those caught up in it. They knew the words, and quoted them out of context, as they thought. They surely later realized what they had done. And were driven either to even deeper psychological blindness, or repentance.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>But You brought me out of the womb, You made me trust at my mother’s breasts-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The Lord’s mother and aunty stood by the cross- the tragedy of His mother being there needs no comment. If dying men do indeed think back to their childhood, His thoughts would have been with His mother. She would have seen the blood coming from the feet. Her head would have been parallel with His knees. His face marred more than the sons of men (<a href='B:290 52:14'>Isa 52:14</a>), sore from where His beard had been pulled off (<a href='B:290 50:6'>Isa 50:6</a>), teeth missing and loose, making His speech sound strange, fresh and dried blood mixing::. and His mother there to behold and hear it all. She must have thought back, and surely He did too; for He was only a man. Mother around the house as a child, mending clothes, getting food, explaining things, telling Him about Simeon's prophecy, of how a sword would break her heart as well as HIsa. This isn't just emotional speculation. <a href='B:230 22:9-10'>Psa 22:9-10</a> emphasizes the Lord's thoughts for His mother and His babyhood with her: "Thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou keptest me in safety (AVmg:- a reference to Herod's persecution) when I was on my mother's breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly". The temptation would have been to go on and on. Was I too hard on her in Cana? How I must have stung her when I said " Behold my mother and my brethren" are these half hearted, superficially interested people (<a href='B:470 12:49'>Mat 12:49</a>). She was the best mother I could have ever had. Like any man would think. And He was a man. Not a mere man, but a man. I wonder if He said those words of breakage, of severance, between Him and her, because these feelings welling up within Him were affecting His concentration on the Father.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I was thrown on You from my mother’s womb; You are my God since my mother bore me-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>See on ::9. The Lord's thoughts for His mother are absolutely psychologically credible; for she was the only person who knew for sure that there had been a virgin birth, and He was God's Son.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Don’t be far from me, for trouble is near; for there is none else to help-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>"None else to help" felt so appropriate for the Lord, for His mother and few loyal friends stood "far" from the cross. The same words are used for how Israel and the exiles were under persecution with none to help apart from God (<a href='B:230 107:12'>Psa 107:12</a>; <a href='B:310 1:7'>Lam 1:7</a>). The paradox was that God saved His people through the Lord Jesus exactly because they had "none to help" (<a href='B:290 63:5'>Isa 63:5</a> s:w:). But He Himself had to go through that experience of having none to help (<a href='B:230 22:11'>Psa 22:11</a>). Their salvation was achieved through His being their total representative.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>Many bulls have surrounded me, strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>It could be in the historical application that David felt surrounded by enemies from Bashan. Bulls don't usually encircle a man to kill him. There is a sense that there is a supernatural, divinely controlled way in which the opposition was being orchestrated. The parallel is in :16, where it is the assembly (NEV "company") of the wicked who do this, alluding to the Sanhedrin.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>They open their mouths wide against me, lions tearing prey and roaring-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'> The same word is used of the roaring of the enemies as lions (:1 AV). In response, David / Jesus roared to God. The repeated reference to lions may reflect the later usage of the Psalm at the time of the Assyrian and Babylonian invasions, where again the imagery of lions was used.</p>


text:
<p style='margin-left:1:415em'>I am poured out like water, all my bones are out of joint-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The emphasis upon David's sense of dehydration looked forward to the Lord's thirst on the cross. Every word He spoke out loud was an expenditure of effort and saliva. He was intensely aware of thIsa. He realized that unless He had more moisture, He just would not be able to speak out loud any more. And yet He so desperately wanted His last words to be heard and meditated upon. His sweat in the Garden had been dropping like blood drops; the nervous tension of bearing our sins sapped moisture from Him. There would have been a loss of lymph and body fluid to the point that He felt as if He had been "poured out like water" (<a href='B:230 22:14'>Psa 22:14</a>); He "poured out his soul unto death" (<a href='B:290 53:12'>Isa 53:12</a>), as if His sense of dehydration was an act He consciously performed; He felt that the loss of moisture was because He was pouring it out Himself. This loss of moisture was therefore due to the mental processes within the Lord Jesus, it was a result of His act of the will in so mentally and emotionally giving Himself for us, rather than just the physical result of crucifixion. The same word for "poured out" is used of pouring out the soul to the Lord (<a href='B:90 1:15'>1Sa 1:15</a>; <a href='B:230 62:8'>Psa 62:8</a>; <a href='B:230 102:1'>Psa 102:1</a>; <a href='B:230 142:2'>Psa 142:2</a>).</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>My heart is like wax; it is melted within me-</p><p style='margin-left:1:415em'>The language of condemnation (<a href='B:230 68:2'>Psa 68:2</a>; <a href='B:230 97:5'>Psa 97:5</a>); and meting or fainting hearts is the description of the faithless (s:w. <a href='B:50 20:8'>Deu 20:8</a>; <a href='B:60 2:11'>Jos 2:11</a>; <a href='B:60 7:5'>Jos 7:5</a>; <a href='B:230 112:10'>Psa 112:10</a>; <a href='B:290 13:7'>Isa 13:7</a>). As discussed on :1, the Lord felt like a sinner, totally identifying with the feelings of sinners and their condemnation, whilst being personally innocent.</p>


